BETHESDA, Maryland — The U.S. Department of Energy has extended its contract with Centrus Energy Corp. to produce high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU) through June 2026, even as recent radiation monitoring data raise concerns about environmental impacts at the company’s Piketon, Ohio facility.
Centrus announced this week that it has successfully produced nearly one metric ton of HALEU—marking the first domestic production of its kind and a key milestone in the Department’s HALEU Demonstration Project. The enriched uranium, required by most advanced reactor designs, is being produced at the American Centrifuge Plant, located on the grounds of the former Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Pike County.
The Department first contracted with Centrus subsidiary American Centrifuge Operating in 2019 to construct a cascade of 16 advanced centrifuges. After delivering an initial 20 kilograms of HALEU in 2023, the company has now completed its Phase II target of 900 kilograms by the end of June 2025.
“This extension reflects the ongoing value of the partnership that the Department launched with Centrus in 2019 to restore America’s ability to enrich uranium,” said Centrus President and CEO Amir Vexler. “As the only source of HALEU enrichment in the Western world, our product is urgently needed to power the next generation of reactors.”
The Piketon facility is currently the only U.S. site licensed to enrich uranium up to 19.75% U-235 and the first domestically owned plant to begin enrichment since the 1950s.
Radiation Spikes Raise Red Flags
Despite the milestone, recent environmental data from the site show elevated levels of alpha and beta radiation at two wastewater outfalls. On February 24, alpha radiation at Outfall 013 spiked to 15.3 picocuries per liter—well above background levels—while beta radiation reached 11.3 picocuries per liter. Uranium concentrations also fluctuated throughout the quarter, with some samples exceeding 3 micrograms per liter.
Outfall 012 showed similar anomalies, including a January 28 alpha reading of 2.33 picocuries per liter and multiple beta readings above 8.0. Testing for transuranic elements such as plutonium and neptunium was limited to a single date.
Environmental advocates warn that these discharges—though within regulatory thresholds—pose cumulative risks to local ecosystems and communities already burdened by decades of contamination at the former weapons complex.
Policy and Industry Implications
The HALEU produced under the Centrus contract belongs to the Department of Energy and is intended to support fuel qualification and testing for advanced reactor designs. DOE officials say the demonstration is critical to rebuilding a sovereign nuclear fuel supply chain, as directed by recent executive orders under President Trump.
“There is currently no commercial source of HALEU in the United States,” said Mike Goff, Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy. “This project is a vital step in ensuring we have enough material to meet the near-term needs of our industry partners.”
The Department has the option to extend the contract for up to eight additional years beyond 2026, subject to appropriations.
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