Urenco USA Plans Multibillion-Dollar Expansion of Sole US Uranium Enrichment Site

Urenco USA Plans Multibillion-Dollar Expansion of Sole US Uranium Enrichment Site

According to Engineering News-Record, Urenco USA has announced plans for a privately funded, multibillion-dollar expansion of its National Enrichment Facility in Eunice, N.M., the sole commercial uranium enrichment site in the United States. The expansion would boost low enriched uranium production by 50%, with a construction start targeted for 2027.

The project centres on a new process building set to house up to 24 gas centrifuge cascades, adding 2.1 million separative work units of enrichment capacity. New cascades would begin production in 2032, with additional units installed through 2036. A company spokesperson said Urenco is still weighing supply chain options, including EPC contractor selection, and plans to finalize those decisions before 2027. Bechtel is providing front-end engineering and design services for the project.

In a separate, smaller upgrade also starting next year, Urenco USA plans to restore capacity to existing cascades at the facility, which has operated since 2010 and currently supplies about one-third of US enrichment demand. A 700,000-unit expansion already underway in an existing building is set to finish in 2027.

The buildout responds to a supply gap: American civilian nuclear reactors bought 15 million separative work units of enrichment capacity in 2024, but only 19% was sourced domestically, according to US Energy Information Administration data cited by ENR. Low enriched uranium from the Eunice facility also serves as feedstock for high-assay low-enriched uranium, needed for advanced reactor designs planned for the 2030s. The US program is part of a broader push by Urenco’s UK-based parent to add enrichment capacity across sites in America and Europe over the next decade.

What It Means for Subcontractors

• A multibillion-dollar nuclear facility expansion with a 2027 construction start gives EPC firms, industrial electrical contractors, and specialty nuclear-qualified trades roughly a year to position ahead of Urenco’s supply chain and contractor selection process.
• Bechtel’s front-end engineering role signals the project will follow a traditional FEED-to-EPC handoff; subcontractors with nuclear-industry qualifications and security clearances should track Bechtel’s procurement announcements as the leading indicator for bid packages.
• The phased build, new cascades through 2036, plus a parallel restoration project finishing in 2027, means sustained multi-year demand for specialty mechanical, electrical, and instrumentation trades at a single New Mexico site rather than a single construction peak.