Centrus Energy Corp. announced a $560 million expansion of its Oak Ridge, Tennessee, manufacturing plant, a move that will add 430 new jobs to Anderson County and establish the United States’ only domestic centrifuge production facility for high‑assay low‑enriched uranium (HALEU). The new plant will produce advanced centrifuges that are slated to be shipped to Centrus’s Ohio enrichment site, with the first units expected online in 2029.
The expansion is backed by a $50 million award from the U.S. Department of Energy and a $70 million grant from Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Fund, underscoring strong federal and state support for the project. The DOE award is part of a broader $900 million task order that also funds the Ohio enrichment facility, while the state grant reflects Tennessee’s commitment to positioning the Volunteer State as a national hub for next‑generation nuclear technology.
Strategically, the Oak Ridge facility will enable Centrus to meet growing domestic demand for HALEU, a critical fuel for advanced reactors and a key component of the U.S. effort to replace Russian imports. By scaling domestic manufacturing, Centrus aims to secure a larger share of the enrichment market and reinforce national energy security, a priority highlighted by the company’s CEO, Amir Vexler, who said the project “is essential to meeting America’s energy security and national security requirements.”
Centrus’s expansion comes on the back of a strong Q3 2025 earnings report, in which the company posted a net income of $3.9 million on revenue of $74.9 million—an improvement from a $5.0 million loss on $57.7 million revenue in Q3 2024. The company’s backlog stood at $3.9 billion as of September 30, 2025, indicating robust demand that the Oak Ridge expansion is designed to satisfy. The new facility will help Centrus convert that demand into higher production volumes and tighter margins as it moves from a limited manufacturing footprint to a full‑scale domestic plant.
CEO Amir Vexler emphasized the project’s importance, noting that “Centrus is proud to be leading the effort to restore America’s ability to enrich uranium at scale—using American technology built by American workers right here in Tennessee.” The company also highlighted the economic impact, with Governor Bill Lee praising the investment as a boost to Tennessee’s energy independence and a catalyst for local job creation.
The expansion is expected to be fully operational by 2029, when the first Tennessee‑manufactured centrifuges will be integrated into the Ohio enrichment line. The project’s completion will not only increase Centrus’s production capacity but also provide a domestic source of HALEU that can support the U.S. nuclear industry’s transition to advanced reactors, thereby reinforcing the country’s strategic autonomy in nuclear fuel supply.
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