OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (WATE) — Two East Tennessee companies have received more than $1 billion from the federal government to support Uranium enrichment within the United States.
The awards are a part of a $2.7 billion investment from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to strengthen domestic enrichment services over the next 10 years. Orano Federal Services and American Centrifuge Operating, both of which have operations in Oak Ridge, were awarded $900 million each to expand their enrichment capacity. General Matter, which is based in California, was also given $900 million.
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“Thrilled [the DOE] has chosen two Tennessee companies to strengthen energy security and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers. This investment in American uranium enrichment will empower Orano and American Centrifuge Operating to help our country usher in a nuclear renaissance,” wrote Senator Masha Blackburn on social media.
In 2025, DOE signed contracts with six companies for LEU and HALEU enrichment, allowing them to bid on future work. The funding announced today will support the DOE’s efforts to transition the United States away from foreign sources of uranium and diversify the domestic fuel supply. Developing the production capacity will ensure adequate fuel supply to operate the nation’s 94 commercial reactors and create a base to supply future reactors.
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Orano was the second company to come to Tennessee using the Nuclear Energy Fund, which helps nuclear energy-related businesses to come to the Volunteer State. It is building a new multi-billion-dollar, state-of-the-art centrifuge uranium enrichment facility at the K-25 site…