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Washington wires $2.7bn into enrichment as the West races to de-Russify nuclear fuel

Washington wires $2.7bn into enrichment as the West races to de-Russify nuclear fuel

DOE task orders to Centrus, General Matter and Orano, plus Urenco's New Mexico expansion, aim to replace Russian LEU before the 2028 waiver cliff

Energy·Minerals· transition The Long Game·Whose Money ·11 takes ·

Summary

DOE awarded $2.7bn in Enrichment task orders, $900m each to General Matter, American Centrifuge Operating (Centrus) and Orano Federal Services, plus $28m to Global Laser Enrichment, to rebuild US Uranium enrichment for both standard LEU and advanced-reactor HALEU. Urenco USA completed phase one of its Eunice, New Mexico expansion and will add 2.1m SWU (cascades 2032-2036); Centrus is converting its Ohio plant to commercial scale with Fluor. The push races the Russian-LEU import ban: waivers run only to 1 January 2028, and DOE estimates ~three years of utility inventory. Russia imposed a tit-for-tat export ban. Urenco also builds a UK Capenhurst HALEU plant for 2031.

By the numbers

  • $2.7bn, total DOE enrichment task orders (Jan 2026).
  • $900m, each to General Matter, Centrus and Orano; $28m to Global Laser Enrichment.
  • 2.1m SWU, new capacity at Urenco's Eunice, NM plant (online 2032-2036).
  • 1 Jan 2028, expiry of Russian-LEU import waivers.
  • ~3 years, DOE estimate of US utility LEU inventory cushion.

Why it matters

Enrichment is the hardest link in the fuel cycle to rebuild, Russia long held ~a quarter of global capacity. The 2028 cliff turns a policy ambition into a procurement race; if Western SWU lags, utilities face either waivers, price spikes, or fuel shortfalls for the reactor fleet.

What to watch

  • Whether new SWU comes online before inventories deplete near 2028.
  • HALEU output scale-up for SMR and advanced-reactor first cores.
  • Russian counter-measures on enrichment and conversion exports.