Urenco to add 2.1 million SWU of enrichment capacity at its New Mexico plant

Urenco USA announced today that it will expand its uranium enrichment capacity by nearly 50 percent with the construction of a new enrichment plant at the company's National Enrichment Facility in Eunice, N.M.

According to Urenco, the expansion will enable the increased production of low-enriched uranium, which is vital to the nation's energy security and represents a major commitment to strengthening the U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain.

New capacity: Urenco said it will install 2.1 million separative work units (SWU) of new enrichment capacity using the company's gas-centrifuge enrichment technology. During the expansion, up to 24 cascades of centrifuges will be installed, with the initial cascades scheduled to begin production in 2032 and additional cascades installed through 2036.

Urenco's National Enrichment Facility has an existing annual capacity of 4.3 million SWU, which is approximately one-third of current U.S. demand, and has an ongoing expansion project to add 700,000 SWU of capacity that will be completed in 2027.

Sarah Riedel, head of sales for Urenco, said the expansion of the New Mexico facility is being supported through long-term contract commitments by U.S. nuclear utilities.

Future growth: As part of ongoing capital investments, Urenco also intends to refurbish existing capacity at the National Enrichment Facility starting in 2027. With these investments, installed capacity at the facility will grow to more than 7 million SWU over the next decade, the company said.

The U.S. capacity program is part of a larger effort by Urenco Global to now install 4.6 million SWU of new enrichment capacity at sites in the United States, the Netherlands, and Germany over the next decade. Urenco USA is a subsidiary of UK-based Urenco Limited-which is owned in equal thirds by the British, Dutch, and German governments.

In December 2024, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved a license amendment allowing Urenco to boost uranium enrichment levels at its facility to 10 percent fissile uranium-235-up from its current limit of 5.5 percent.

Quote: "For more than 15 years, Urenco USA has provided its U.S. utility customers with a reliable domestic supply of enriched uranium to power their nuclear reactors," said Boris Schucht, CEO of Urenco Global, "This expansion reinforces our commitment to a resilient U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain focused on meeting the long-term needs of our customers as well as supporting U.S. energy security through continued investment by Urenco."