USEC Inc. is continuing to support the American Centrifuge project pending further efforts to obtain federal funding for a centrifuge Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) program proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The RD&D program will further demonstrate the technical readiness of the American Centrifuge technology for commercialization and will help to ensure that a U.S. enrichment technology is available to meet vital national security, non-proliferation and energy security goals.
The RD&D program will support building, installing and operating a 120-machine cascade and related support systems that will be replicated in 96 identical cascades in a full commercial plant in Piketon, Ohio. The program will support 2,000 jobs across the country, especially in Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan and Indiana. It will also preserve the U.S. government’s ability to produce enriched uranium to support U.S. national security needs