An American nuclear fuel supplier, Centrus Energy, has completed its Oak Ridge plant and is shipping the first new centrifuge to its Ohio facility as part of the company’s expansion of its uranium enrichment capacity.

​The centrifuges produced in Tennessee will now be grouped into ‘cascades’ and integrated into the uranium enrichment facility in Ohio, the company announced Thursday. The energy firm said in a statement that the new capacity is expected to ‘come online’ in 2029.

​A cascade is a group of centrifuges connected together to enrich uranium, as multiple centrifuges are needed to achieve the required enrichment level. The Ohio facility has an existing cascade of these centrifuges, which includes components built nearly seven years ago.

​At the expanded facility, Centrus aims to produce Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) on a large scale “for the existing reactor fleet for baseload electricity, High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) for next-generation reactors, and enrichment for national security needs.”

​HALEU has enriched uranium of 5-20 percent, while LEU has generally 3-5 percent for conventional reactors.

​Centrus described the centrifuge shipment as a “milestone” which was achieved ahead of its previously announced target.

​It also said that it contracted a network of domestic suppliers to establish a supply chain capable of meeting both commercial and national security demand.

​To secure the supply chain, the company completed the acquisition of Westerman Holdings earlier in October.

​Westerman Holdings is a key supplier of centrifuge casings and other major components.

​”Completing the first new centrifuge for our expansion and standing up a one-of-a-kind supply chain are significant moments for our team and this country,” Centrus president and Chief Executive Officer Amir Vexler said.

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