The US Department of Energy awarded $2.7 billion across three companies in January 2026 to strengthen domestic uranium enrichment capacity, supporting both conventional low-enriched uranium production and the development of high-assay low-enriched uranium required by a new generation of advanced reactors. The awards represent the largest single federal investment in US uranium enrichment infrastructure since the privatization of the enrichment sector in the 1990s.
American Centrifuge Operating, Orano Federal Services, and General Matter each received $900 million under milestone-based task orders. Orano's award supports a planned $5 billion uranium enrichment facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, which would use centrifuge technology to produce both conventional LEU and HALEU. Centrus Energy's American Centrifuge Operating received its $900 million to expand capacity at its Paducah, Kentucky centrifuge facility, which has been the primary US domestic enrichment demonstration site. General Matter, a newer entrant, received its award to advance next-generation enrichment technology.
The DOE also separately awarded $28 million to Global Laser Enrichment to continue developing laser-based uranium enrichment technology. Combined, the investments are intended to reduce US dependence on Russian uranium enrichment, which until recent years supplied a substantial portion of fuel for US reactors. The awards support fuel supply for the existing 94-reactor fleet as well as advanced reactors including TerraPower's Natrium design and Oklo's Aurora reactor, both of which require HALEU that is not commercially available from current domestic suppliers.
Source: US Department of Energy -- https://www.energy.gov/articles/us-department-energy-awards-27-billion-restore-american-uranium-enrichment