PIKETON, Ohio — Centrus Energy has selected Fluor Corp. as its engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for a previously announced multi-billion-dollar expansion of uranium enrichment operations in Piketon, further advancing a project backed by substantial federal funding and framed by executives as critical to national security.
Centrus said its subsidiary, American Centrifuge Operating LLC, agreed to a strategic collaboration with Fluor under a multi-year contract. Fluor will lead engineering and design of the expanded capacity in Ohio, manage supply chain and procurement of key materials and services, and oversee construction at the site.
“This is another critical milestone for us as we begin our expansion in earnest,” Centrus President and CEO Amir Vexler said. “Fluor is a global leader with decades of experience managing complex nuclear construction projects and is an ideal partner as we transition to a large-scale deployment. With centrifuge manufacturing already underway, we are moving full-speed ahead with our expansion.”
The expansion includes large-scale production of Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) to address what the company describes as a $2.3 billion commercial LEU enrichment contingent backlog and growing demand from existing reactors. Centrus also recently announced plans to expand its production of High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) for next-generation reactors.
“The addition of Fluor’s extensive experience in launching and supporting large-scale, complex, industrial build-outs will empower our major expansion in Ohio,” said Centrus Senior Vice President, Field Operations, Patrick Brown. “We look forward to this collaborative effort and the opportunities working with a best-in-class EPC will afford Centrus going forward.”
Centrus has said it is the only production-ready option for certain national security missions and was recently notified by the National Nuclear Security Administration of its intent to sole-source certain uranium enrichment activities from the company.
“We are proud of our long-term relationship with Centrus and are honored to be partnering with them on a project of profound importance to our energy security and national security,” said Al Collins, Business Group President, Mission Solutions. “We look forward to working with Centrus to restore the United States’ ability to enrich uranium at large-scale while fortifying its supply chain and creating local jobs.”
The announcement follows a series of major funding developments. In December 2025, Centrus launched centrifuge manufacturing to support the expansion. In early January 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy selected Centrus for a $900 million HALEU task order. Later in January, the company announced it is investing more than $560 million to transition its advanced centrifuge factory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to high-rate manufacturing.
The expansion in Piketon represents one of the largest industrial investments in the region in recent years and comes as federal officials seek to rebuild domestic uranium enrichment capacity.
While the expansion is being hailed as an economic revival, many residents in the small southern Ohio community say they are uneasy about the proposal, arguing it represents a step backward rather than forward. Pike County has reported cancer rates above state and national averages. Some advocates and researchers, including epidemiologist Joe Mangano, have pointed to the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant as a contributing factor. The Piketon facility previously enriched uranium for commercial nuclear reactors and for the United States’ nuclear weapons arsenal.