Urenco to build a 2.1 million SWU enrichment plant in New Mexico, lifting the site past 7 million SWU

Urenco/Urenco USA Eunice expansion

Urenco will build a new enrichment plant of up to 24 centrifuge cascades at Eunice, adding 2.1 million SWU, nearly 50% more capacity, with private money. Construction starts in 2029, first output in 2032 and full build-out by 2036. Together with the current 700,000 SWU programme the site gains 2.8 million SWU a year, as the US faces a fuel gap when Russian waivers end in 2028.

• Up to 24 cascades, 2.1 million SWU; no federal funding and no licence amendment needed.
• Timeline: construction 2029, first production 2032, full build-out 2036.
• 300-600 construction jobs at peak, 70 permanent jobs.
• In 2024 only 19% of the 15 million SWU US reactors bought came from US plants; Russia supplied 20%.
• Urenco's order book reached a record €21.3 billion at the end of 2025.