Urenco to Boost U.S. Uranium Enrichment Capacity by Nearly 50%
By Charles Kennedy - Jun 02, 2026,
Urenco USA has announced plans for a major expansion of the National Enrichment Facility in Eunice, New Mexico, committing a multi-billion-dollar investment to increase uranium enrichment capacity by nearly 50% and reinforce the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain.
The project will add 2.1 million separative work units (SWU) of enrichment capacity through the installation of up to 24 new centrifuge cascades using the company's gas centrifuge technology. Initial production from the expansion is expected to begin in 2032, with additional cascades coming online through 2036.
The expansion comes as the United States seeks to strengthen domestic nuclear fuel capabilities amid growing interest in both existing nuclear generation and next-generation reactor technologies. Low-enriched uranium (LEU), the primary product of the facility, fuels the current U.S. commercial reactor fleet, which generates roughly one-fifth of the nation's electricity. LEU is also a key feedstock for producing high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), a fuel expected to be required by many advanced reactor designs planned for deployment in the next decade.
Urenco currently operates the only commercial-scale uranium enrichment facility in the United States. The plant's existing capacity stands at 4.3 million SWU annually, equivalent to about one-third of current U.S. enrichment demand. An ongoing expansion project adding another 700,000 SWU is scheduled for completion in 2027, while refurbishment work on existing capacity is also planned. Combined with the newly announced investment, the facility's installed capacity is expected to exceed 7 million SWU over the next decade.
The project is expected to support between 300 and 600 construction jobs at peak activity and create approximately 70 permanent operational positions. Urenco USA already employs more than 500 workers and contractors at the site, which has been operating commercially since 2010.
The New Mexico expansion forms part of a broader strategy by Urenco Global to add 4.6 million SWU of enrichment capacity across facilities in the United States, the Netherlands, and Germany. The move reflects a wider effort among Western nations to reduce dependence on Russian nuclear fuel services and build more resilient supply chains as governments increasingly view nuclear power as a key component of energy security and decarbonization strategies.
Urenco said customer commitments through new long-term contracts helped support the investment decision, underscoring growing demand for domestic enrichment services from U.S. utilities.
Antares valide la criticité d’un micro-réacteur au sodium aux États-Unis
AFP avec Connaissance des Énergies le 5 juin 2026
La start-up Antares a mené au fonctionnement autonome son prototype de micro-réacteur nucléaire aux États-Unis, une première.
Un jalon atteint à l’Idaho National Laboratory
Selon un communiqué diffusé le 4 juin, le modèle d’essai Mark-0 a atteint la criticité, c’est-à-dire une réaction de fission auto-entretenue. La démonstration a eu lieu à l’Idaho National Laboratory (Idaho Falls), Antares étant le premier lauréat du Reactor Pilot Program à franchir ce cap. Une fois ce stade atteint, le réacteur est en mesure de produire sa propre énergie en continu.
Le Mark-0 relève d’un essai de criticité à très basse puissance destiné à valider la physique du cœur, selon la documentation du ministère de l’Énergie (DOE). Le prototype s’inscrit parmi onze projets de micro-réacteurs ou SMR sélectionnés par le DOE, qui vise au moins trois criticités d’ici au 4 juillet 2026, d’après le programme fédéral annoncé en 2025.
La filière sodium
Le Mark-0 n’utilise pas l’eau pressurisée mais un caloporteur sodium. Dans cette architecture, le sodium liquide évacue la chaleur du cœur par des dispositifs passifs, une filière explorée depuis les années 1950 dans des versions de grande taille et aujourd’hui miniaturisée. Fonctionnant à pression atmosphérique, ces systèmes écartent les risques de surpression et d’explosion de vapeur caractéristiques d’accidents de type RBMK.
Le sodium impose toutefois des précautions spécifiques, s’enflammant au contact de l’air et réagissant violemment avec l’eau. Antares indique recourir à des dispositifs et procédures adaptés pour la mise en œuvre et la maintenance de ce caloporteur.
Perspectives de déploiement
Le Mark-0 a été retenu en août 2025 par le DOE au sein du Reactor Pilot Program. « Nous sommes passés d’un concept à la criticité en moins de 12 mois », s'est félicité le directeur général d’Antares, Jordan Bramble.
Antares projette la mise en service de petits réacteurs sur des sites militaires américains d’ici septembre 2028. À ce stade, l’exploitation du démonstrateur relève d’une autorisation spécifique du DOE ; une commercialisation exigera une homologation par la Commission de régulation nucléaire (NRC). À ce jour, le seul schéma SMR disposant d’une certification de conception est celui de NuScale, rappelle la NRC.
L'état de New-York cherche à faire construire au moins 1 GW de nucléaire :
New York issues solicitations for nuclear new-build
2 June 2026
The New York Power Authority has issued a call for nuclear developers and delivery partners for its initiative to develop at least 1 GW of advanced nuclear energy in Upstate New York, and an invitation to training providers to apply for USD40 million in nuclear workforce development funding.
The Request for Qualifications (RFQ) follows on from Requests for Information issued by the authority last year, to which more than 30 entities - including 23 potential developers or partners and eight Upstate New York communities - responded. It aims to identify a set of developers qualified to deliver an advanced nuclear generation project across two possible technology pathways: a large-scale reactor, "such as the AP1000" and/or a small modular reactor "such as the BWRX-300".
Respondents are asked to present "credible pathways" to deliver at least 1 GW of advanced nuclear capacity in Upstate New York, including technology readiness, siting and permitting strategy, schedule and cost assumptions, ownership structures, and partnership models. Qualified firms will then be invited to participate in a future Request for Proposal.
The authority said it would consider so-called nth-of-a-kind Generation III+ or Generation IV technologies provided that a first-of-a-kind project (either by the respondent or by another owner/developer) is "at or beyond First Nuclear Concrete by early 2030". The selected pathway must "demonstrate a credible path to both produce 1+ GW of energy and start construction before 2033" to ensure eligibility for investment tax credits under the US Inflation Reduction Act Investment Tax Credit. First-of-a-kind technologies and micro modular reactors are outside the scope of this project. Bidders must have "commensurate experience".
The deadline for submissions is 26 June.
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