PIKETON, Ohio — Centrus Energy says it has begun domestic manufacturing of uranium-enrichment centrifuges intended to support commercial low-enriched uranium production at the company’s Piketon facility, as the nuclear-fuel supplier positions itself for a major expansion tied to future U.S. and international demand.
Centrus said the manufacturing ramp-up is part of what it described as an “industrial-scale” build to supply centrifuges for commercial LEU enrichment in Ohio, with an eye toward eventual commercial-scale production of high-assay, low-enriched uranium, or HALEU.
“We are excited to announce the official commencement of our industrial-scale centrifuge manufacturing build for commercial LEU enrichment,” Centrus CEO Amir Vexler said in a statement, citing supply-chain progress and efforts to secure what the company called “low-cost of capital,” including anticipated federal funding decisions.
In outlining its financial and commercial case, Centrus said it is a finalist for Department of Energy task orders for both LEU and HALEU production that DOE has indicated could be about $900 million per task order, and said it has raised $1.2 billion through convertible note transactions in November 2024 and August 2025.
Centrus also reported a cash balance of more than $1.6 billion as of Sept. 30, 2025, and said it recently launched a $1 billion at-the-market offering.
The company said it has secured $2.3 billion in customer contracts and commitments it described as contingent on meeting milestones tied to building new enrichment capacity.
Centrus also pointed to a proposed partnership announced in August 2025 with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and POSCO International to explore potential investment in new enrichment capacity in Ohio.
Centrus said the project is expected to support thousands of jobs, including about 1,000 construction jobs and 300 new operating jobs in Ohio while retaining 150 existing jobs at the Piketon plant, along with hundreds of direct jobs tied to centrifuge manufacturing in Tennessee and a broader supplier network.
Centrus said it has begun manufacturing centrifuges at its factory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, using a domestic supply chain, and said first new production capacity is expected to come online in 2029.
Background: cleanup legacy, local pushback, and a federal audit
The expansion plans arrive as some Piketon-area residents and activists push back, arguing the region is still grappling with documented radioactive and chemical contamination associated with the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, and questioning why public dollars are spent on cleanup while uranium enrichment returns.
The company and industry supporters have argued modern centrifuge enrichment differs from older gaseous-diffusion operations, though the file notes experts are split on the overall risk profile.
In July 2025, the Department of Energy Office of Inspector General issued a report that criticized DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy over a sole-source approach used in a HALEU contract to American Centrifuge Operating, LLC, a Centrus subsidiary, including findings that DOE “bypassed” Federal Acquisition Regulation processes and used a pre-award memorandum of understanding that the report said helped lock in Centrus as the only viable provider for a specific centrifuge cascade.
The report also raised concerns about Centrus’ financial condition at the time of award, and described internal reviews warning the company lacked adequate resources, while noting the contract award proceeded, and the required cost share was reduced.
Separately, multiple lawsuits involving alleged radiological exposure and contamination tied to the Portsmouth site are listed as pending, including federal cases dating to 2019 and a Pike County state-court matter described as consolidated in Pike County Common Pleas Court.
Read the full DOE Inspector General Report below: