Orano signs MOU with trade union for Project Ike construction

Orano USA announced on April 22 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU) outlining their cooperative relationship to support the construction of Project Ike, Orano's planned $5 billion centrifuge uranium enrichment facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

According to Orano, the MOU reflects a shared commitment to complete the project on time and in accordance with commercial and government expectations. The construction phase for the planned 750,000-square-foot facility is expected to employ more than 1,000 workers, the company said.

Enrichment operations are expected to begin in the early 2030s.

License application: On March 27, Orano submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission the technical portion of its license application for Project Ike, allowing the company to receive, acquire, possess, and transfer byproduct, source, and special nuclear material.

The application includes Orano's integrated safety analysis; process safety information; analyses addressing criticality, chemical, and fire safety; and required security and safeguards information.

According to Orano's application, which was made public on April 22, Project Ike will be able to produce about 7.4 million separative work units (SWUs) per year. The company intends to enrich natural uranium hexafluoride to a product containing up to 10 percent U-235 using four identical separations building modules (SBMs). Each SBM, in turn, will be divided into two modules, each containing 12 centrifuge cascades capable of producing about 925,000 SWUs per year.

"Our decades of experience safely and securely operating a uranium enrichment facility is foundational to every analysis, every design, and every process stated in our Project Ike license application," said Jean-Luc Palayer, CEO of Orano USA, in announcing the application submission. "We look forward to timely engagement and progress with the NRC."

Background: Named in reference to President Eisenhower's landmark 1953 "Atoms for Peace" address to the United Nations, Project Ike development began in September 2024 with an announcement by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee that Orano had selected Oak Ridge as the preferred site for its facility.

In January, the Department of Energy announced it had selected Orano for a $900 million award for low-enriched uranium supply. Orano has secured a 624-acre site on the DOE's Oak Ridge Reservation to build Project Ike.