Westinghouse Electric Company is spending roughly $1 billion to build a new nuclear fuel manufacturing plant in South Carolina. The project is underway at the existing Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Hopkins, with operations scheduled to start in 2030. It represents the first fleet-scale nuclear fuel plant built in the United States in more than 50 years.

The site will mass-produce a specialized grade of fuel known as Low Enriched Uranium Plus, or LEU+. Standard commercial fuel operates below these levels, but LEU+ increases uranium enrichment to between 5% and 8%.

This higher concentration changes the economics of running a commercial reactor. Because the core carries more energy, power plants can stretch the intervals between mandatory refueling shutdowns. Longer operating runs lower day-to-day costs for operators while providing steady baseload electricity to the grid.

“The Columbia LEU+ Fuel factory is our largest single manufacturing investment to support the operating fleet and marks a transformative milestone for our company and the industry,” said Dan Sumner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Westinghouse.

“By scaling our LEU+ Fuel manufacturing capabilities, we reinforce our commitment to support our customers in producing more nuclear power while creating new opportunities in South Carolina.”

The manufacturing push supports the United States’ UPRISE initiative. Under that program, utilities aim to raise the total electrical output of existing reactors through what the industry calls plant uprates. The higher-energy LEU+ fuel will provide the thermal margin needed to expand power generation across the country without building new reactor vessels.

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