Orano has had plans to develop nuclear facilities in the US as early as the late 2000s but was forced to abandon them after the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Credit: LOU BENOIST via Getty Images.

Officials from uranium producer Orano and the state of Tennessee, US, announced on Wednesday (4 August) that the state-owned nuclear fuel company has chosen Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as the preferred location for its multibillion dollar US uranium enrichment plant. 

CEO and president of Orano USA Jean-Luc Palayer said: “Today we celebrate this major milestone towards bringing a new enrichment facility online to help meet our country’s need for an increased, secure domestic nuclear fuel supply.” 

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The development of the facility is supported by Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Fund, which has $60m at its disposal. Officials did not say how much the facility would cost to build. 

Palayer explained that the company is in the process of organising the next steps to develop the facility, including obtaining a licence from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, approval from Orano’s board and support from the federal government.  

The facility is expected to create 300 jobs once built. 

Orano has had plans to develop nuclear facilities in the US as early as the late 2000s but was forced to abandon them after the Fukushima disaster in 2011. The decision to build the Tennessee facility comes after the Biden administration passed legislation this year prohibiting the import of Russian unirradiated, low-enriched uranium, as part of a wider effort among western nations to reduce reliance on Russian resources.  

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The ban on imports from the world’s largest uranium supplier has unlocked $2.7bn of US funding for domestic uranium projects. According to Orano, Russia’s Rosatom currently provides 30% of the West’s enriched uranium. The company’s Tennessee expansion is now set to help reduce this percentage. 

However, the US is yet to fully end its dependence on Russia, with the Department of Energy providing waivers allowing Russian uranium imports shortly after the ban was signed into law.