Paducah enrichment plant by General Matter: status and timeline

Milestones

Next · Licence amendment for HALEU

DOE picks General Matter as one of four HALEU enrichersOct 2024Complete.
Emerges from stealth; about $50M Series AApr 2025Complete.
Signs DOE lease for 100 acres at PaducahAug 2025Complete.
DOE awards a $900M HALEU task order5 Jan 2026Complete.
NRC licence application filed (LEU)28 Sep 2026Complete.
Licence amendment for HALEUTarget 2027Not yet reached.
Commercial-scale enrichment beginsTarget 2030Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

2027Licence amendment for HALEU (next)
1 Jan 2028US waivers for Russian enriched uranium end
2030Commercial-scale enrichment begins

Current obstacles

Unproven at scaleThe enrichment method is undisclosed and has not run at commercial scale; schedule and cost claims cannot yet be checked.
Timeline uncertaintyOperations were planned for 2034 in 2025; the company now says commercial enrichment by 2030.

Physics limits

Separating near-identical atomsUF6 molecules carrying U-235 are under 1% lighter than those carrying U-238, so each centrifuge enriches only a little; output grows with the number of machines, not with one clever trick.
Richer fuel, stricter securityUranium above 10% U-235 needs tighter security for plants and shipments than ordinary reactor fuel, which adds cost to every HALEU step.

How it works

3 parts

HALEU

Uranium enriched to 5-20%

Advanced reactors use richer fuel than today's 3.5-5% to run smaller cores longer; HALEU is the 10-20% band most of them need.

Two-step licence

LEU first, HALEU next

The first NRC application covers LEU and LEU+, so construction can start sooner; a HALEU amendment follows in 2027.

Tails as feed

Waste becomes feedstock

Depleted uranium left at Paducah still holds some U-235; enriching it again turns stored leftovers into fuel.

Spec sheet

Spec	Paducah enrichment plant
Project cost	$1.5 billion^R (reported)
DOE task order	$900 million^R (reported)
Leased site	100 acres^R (reported)
Depleted UF6 cylinders on lease	At least 7,600^R (reported)
Permanent jobs	About 140^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

3 updates

About General Matter

The team behind Paducah enrichment plant

General Matter

Uranium enrichment, HALEU, Paducah Kentucky

California startup founded in 2024 and incubated at Founders Fund, building a private US uranium enrichment plant at the former Paducah gaseous diffusion site in Kentucky for LEU, LEU+ and HALEU. It has not disclosed its enrichment method.

One of two HALEU enrichers with a $900M DOE task order (Jan 2026); the other is Centrus.
Building a $1.5 billion plant on 100 leased acres at Paducah, which enriched uranium from 1952 to 2013.
Filed its NRC licence application in Sept 2026; aims for commercial-scale enrichment by the end of the decade.

Company profile →

Founded: 20242 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Private
Valuation: private
Raised: $50M1 round
Last round: Series A · $50MApr 2025
Works in: EnergyNuclear fuel
Coverage: 1 program · 3 updateslatest 13d agochecked 11 Oct
Lead investors: Founders Fund
Customers: US Department of Energy
Investors: Founders Fund
People: Scott NolanCo-founder and CEODrew DeWaltCo-founder

Paducah enrichment plant

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Uranium enriched to 5-20%

LEU first, HALEU next

Waste becomes feedstock

Spec sheet

Update log

Mon 28 Sep

Mon 5 Jan

Wed 6 Aug 2025

About General Matter

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Uranium enriched to 5-20%

LEU first, HALEU next

Waste becomes feedstock

Spec sheet

Update log

Mon 28 Sep

Mon 5 Jan

Wed 6 Aug 2025

About General Matter