Concept rendering: Orano’s planned Project IKE uranium enrichment facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
DOE funding supports $5 billion investment in new American low-enriched uranium production facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee
BETHESDA, Md. — January 9, 2026 — Orano has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to receive up to $900 million in federal funding to support the domestic production of low-enriched uranium (LEU), marking a major milestone in strengthening U.S. nuclear fuel security.
The award supports Orano’s planned $5 billion investment in a large-scale uranium enrichment facility—known as Project IKE—to be developed in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Once operational, the facility will provide a new, reliable, and competitively priced American source of enriched uranium to power the nation’s nuclear energy fleet.
Today, the United States imports approximately two-thirds of the LEU used by its nuclear reactors, with a significant share historically sourced from Russia. Orano’s Project IKE facility is designed to help replace Russian imports, reinforcing U.S. energy independence and ensuring fuel supply continuity ahead of the full ban on Russian enriched uranium imports scheduled for 2028.
Project IKE will leverage Orano’s internationally proven gas centrifuge enrichment technology and decades of operational expertise. The facility’s modular design allows production to scale efficiently to meet both current and future U.S. market demand.
“The Department of Energy’s decision is a tremendous vote of confidence in Orano’s capabilities as a trusted nuclear fuel supplier,” said Nicolas Maes, CEO of Orano. “We look forward to writing the next chapter of Orano’s long history in the United States with Project IKE, delivering domestic enriched uranium production early in the next decade.”
Orano brings a strong track record to the project, including the successful construction and operation of the Georges Besse II enrichment facility in France, completed in 2011, which is currently undergoing a 30 percent capacity expansion.
“Orano is the only Western company to have built and operated a modern, commercial-scale uranium enrichment facility in the past 15 years,” said François Lurin, Executive Vice President of Orano’s Chemistry and Enrichment Business. “We intend to apply the lessons learned and best practices from Georges Besse II directly to the development of Project IKE in Tennessee.”
“We are honored that DOE has identified Project IKE as a cornerstone of America’s energy security strategy,” said Jean-Luc Palayer, CEO of Orano USA. “This facility will deliver a secure, large-scale American supply of enriched uranium using proven technology, existing transport systems, and processes refined through decades of successful operations.”
For more than 40 years, Orano has supplied enriched uranium to U.S. nuclear reactors from France. Project IKE will extend that reliability by shifting production to an American facility.
Named in honor of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 1953 ‘Atoms for Peace’ speech, Project IKE is expected to submit its license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in early 2026. With timely regulatory approvals and construction milestones, the facility aims to begin LEU production in 2031.
As demand for electricity surges—driven in part by artificial intelligence, data centers, and advanced manufacturing—nuclear energy is expected to play an increasingly critical role in the U.S. energy mix. Project IKE is positioned to support the nation’s goal of quadrupling nuclear energy capacity by 2050, providing a significant share of the enriched uranium required to meet that target.
Orano plans to utilize an extensive U.S.-based supply chain for the design, construction, and long-term operation of the facility. The project is expected to create more than 1,000 construction jobs and approximately 300 highly skilled, well-paying permanent positions during decades of operation.
Learn more about Project IKE at orano.group/usa/project-ike-enrichment.
About Orano USA
Based in Bethesda, Maryland, with global headquarters in Paris, France, Orano is a leading technology and services provider for the commercial and federal nuclear industries. The company specializes in uranium mining, conversion and enrichment; used nuclear fuel management and recycling; federal site cleanup and closure; and the development of nuclear medicines to fight cancer.
