Urenco marks installation of new US enrichment capacity
2024年10月11日 - 12:00AM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
Urenco has installed the first new centrifuges of an
expansion project in the United States, which is on track to be
delivering additional capacity next year.
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Ribbon-cutting ceremony at Urenco USA
(Photo: Business Wire)
The centrifuges were installed in an existing centrifuge hall at
the company’s enrichment site in Eunice, New Mexico.
Federal, State and local officials, Urenco leadership,
representatives of the more than 500 Urenco USA employees and
contractors, and members of the community gathered at the facility
to mark the occasion. Following a milestone celebration and
ribbon-cutting ceremony, guests were able to tour the centrifuge
hall on Wednesday (October 9).
The project will provide an approximately 15 percent increase in
enrichment capacity at the site, providing an additional 700,000
SWU per year. Urenco USA is on schedule to begin producing enriched
uranium from newly installed centrifuges in 2025.
Urenco CEO, Boris Schucht, said:
“Our enrichment site in Eunice is ideally located to serve our
U.S. customers and the wider global market to help meet energy
security and decarbonization goals.
“This facility has successfully operated for more than a decade
and the expansion is further proof of the domestic supply it
consistently delivers.
“This is only the latest step. We are intending to further
expand our capacity in the U.S., subject to market needs, as the
strong momentum in the nuclear industry continues.
“This will not only mean an even stronger U.S. nuclear fuel
supply chain, but more jobs, skills, and development so we can
continue to attract and retain the next generation of operators,
engineers and scientists for the future of this industry.”
Urenco’s Eunice site is the only commercial enrichment facility
in the U.S. In 2023, its annual production was 4.4 million SWU. The
site has the physical space and license to further expand its
annual production up to 10 million SWU.
The site’s expansion project, scheduled for completion in 2027,
is the first to be delivered under Urenco’s capacity expansion
program, and will strengthen the nuclear fuel supply chain both in
the U.S. and globally. In total, under Urenco’s current expansion,
1.8 million SWU will be delivered across three projects, including
two others at Urenco’s sites in Germany and the Netherlands.
Welcoming the news, Gov. Lujan Grisham said: “Today’s
announcement in Eunice underscores the importance of Urenco’s work
not only to New Mexico but to the nation and the world. This
expansion will bolster New Mexico’s economy, enhance national
security, and help the U.S. meet net zero emission targets that
will protect our planet from the adverse effects of climate change.
I appreciate Urenco’s investment in our state and wish them well in
this important endeavor.”
U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich also stated: “We need to find ways
to provide clean and reliable energy for all Americans. Carbon
pollution-free nuclear power is necessarily going to be part of any
equation that gets us all the way to our climate and clean energy
goals. That’s why it’s so important for us to stand up a secure and
American-made supply chain for commercial-scale enriched uranium
with producers like Urenco USA, which is significantly expanding
its facility in Lea County, New Mexico.
“I will continue working to shore up our domestic nuclear fuel
supply chain and invest in American producers that are creating the
types of good-paying jobs that New Mexicans can build their
families around while helping us build out our clean, reliable, and
affordable energy future.”
About Urenco Group
Urenco is an international supplier of uranium enrichment
services, fuel cycle products and related solutions with
sustainability at the core of our business. Operating in a pivotal
area of the nuclear fuel supply chain for over 50 years, we
understand the importance of energy security and facilitate the
reliable delivery of low carbon electricity generation for
consumers around the world.
With our head office near London, UK, Urenco’s global presence
ensures diversity and security of supply for customers through
enrichment facilities in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the
USA. Through our technology and the expertise of our people, the
Urenco Group provides safe, cost effective and reliable services,
operating within a framework of high environmental, social and
governance standards, complementing international safeguards.
Urenco is making a positive contribution to global climate
change goals through our core business and we are committed to
achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
We are committed to continued investment in the responsible
management of nuclear materials; innovation activities with clear
sustainability benefits, such as nuclear medicine, industrial
efficiency and research; and nurturing the next generation of
scientists and engineers.
Visit urenco.com
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Lisa Hardison Head of Communications and Public Relations –
Urenco USA +1 575 394 6099 Alla Shkiler Grayling, +1 301 801 0091
UrencoUS@Grayling.com