The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is investing $900 million in Orano’s planned $5 billion uranium enrichment plant in Tennessee, a major step to end American reliance on Russian nuclear fuel and power the country’s atomic energy ambitions. This award decision accelerates Project IKE, a facility set to begin production in 2031 and become a cornerstone of domestic energy security.
Currently, the United States imports about two-thirds of the low-enriched uranium (LEU) needed to fuel its nuclear reactors, with a significant portion historically coming from Russia. This reliance creates a strategic vulnerability, especially with a total ban on Russian imports set for 2028. Orano’s Project IKE facility, to be built in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, is designed to replace that foreign supply with a homegrown, reliable alternative, according to the company’s announcement.
“We are honored by DOE’s decision to identify Project IKE as a key driver for U.S. energy security,” said Jean-Luc Palayer, CEO of Orano USA. He emphasized the project’s straightforward mission: “For Orano, there is no mystery to making enriched uranium—and a lot of it—when you have reliable centrifuges, existing transport containers, and enrichment processes refined over decades of successful commercial operations.”
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So, why is a French nuclear fuel giant the one to build this critical American infrastructure? The answer lies in a unique track record. Orano stands out as the only Western company in the last 15 years to successfully build and operate a new, commercial-scale gas centrifuge enrichment facility—the Georges Besse II plant in France, completed in 2011. “We anticipate writing another chapter of Orano’s decades-long history on American soil,” said Nicolas Maes, CEO of Orano.
This isn’t Orano’s first venture on U.S. soil; for 40 years, the company has supplied American reactors with fuel from its French operations. The new Tennessee facility aims to translate that overseas reliability into domestic production. The project’s scale is monumental, but its approach is modular. By leveraging proven centrifuge technology, the facility is designed to ramp up production efficiently to meet both current needs and future growth in the nuclear sector.
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The timing couldn’t be more critical. The U.S. has announced ambitious goals to significantly expand nuclear power, seen as a vital source of steady, carbon-free electricity to meet rising demand from technologies like artificial intelligence and a growing grid. To support a potential quadrupling of nuclear capacity by 2050, the country will need a massive increase in its domestic fuel supply chain. Project IKE is positioned to provide a large portion of that essential fuel.
The economic impact for the region will also be substantial. The development is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs during its construction phase and 300 permanent, high-skilled positions throughout its decades of operation. Orano plans to tap an extensive American supply chain for everything from construction to specialized equipment manufacturing, rooting the project’s benefits deeply in the local economy.
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Named for President Eisenhower’s historic “Atoms for Peace” vision, Project IKE is now on a fast track. The company is preparing to submit its license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in early 2026. With the DOE’s financial support and a cleared path through the regulatory process, Orano aims to turn the sod on a facility that will not only power reactors but also fuel a renewed American leadership in nuclear energy, starting in 2031.
