A two-panel chart in a Sprott Asset Management research note by Jacob White, published July 14, 2026, compares global uranium enrichment capacity in 1985 and 2024. The data for 2024 comes from the World Nuclear Association Nuclear Fuel Report 2025, and the 1985 figures come from the Congressional Budget Office. Centrus Energy and Urenco are also credited.

In 1985, domestic United States capacity was 27.3 million separative work units per year, well above U.S. utility requirements of 7.5 million SWU per year. France (Eurodif) had 10.8 million, Russia (Tenex) had 3.0 million, and the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany (Urenco) had 1.4 million. China and foreign-owned U.S. capacity were both 0.0.

By 2024, domestic U.S. capacity was 0.0 and U.S. utility requirements had risen to 15.6 million SWU per year. Russia (Tenex) led with 27.1 million SWU per year. Urenco's plants in the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany had 13.0 million, China (CNNC) had 10.6 million, and France (Orano) had 7.5 million. Foreign-owned U.S. capacity under Urenco was 4.3 million.

The chart adds a note that in June 2026 Urenco announced plans to build 2.1 million SWU, bringing its U.S. total to 6.4 million SWU. Sprott states that the only remaining enrichment plant physically located in the United States is controlled by Urenco, a European-owned corporation. The note says the planned expansion would lift output by nearly 50%.

The comparison shows the shift from 27.3 million SWU of domestic capacity in 1985 to 4.3 million SWU of foreign-owned capacity on U.S. soil in 2024.

Source: Sprott Asset Management - https://sprott.com/insights/uranium-fundamentals-strengthen-beneath-the-market-noise/