As US ramps up nuclear power, fuel supplier plans to enrich more uranium domestically

Associated Press

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (AP) — A supplier of fuel for nuclear power plants has announced a $60 million expansion in Tennessee, promising more manufacturing of high-tech centrifuges there to enrich uranium. The expansion by Centrus Energy at its massive facility in Oak Ridge comes as the U.S. ramps up its reliance on nuclear power as a climate change solution. The Tennessee facility makes and tests 40-foot-high centrifuges for the company’s enrichment facility in Piketon, Ohio. Centrus is among several companies working on enriching uranium in the U.S., which is currently dependent on foreign providers. Russia has said it would temporarily limit exports of enriched uranium to the U.S. after the U.S. banned Russian uranium starting in 2028.