Centrus Energy's American Centrifuge Plant hosts the only US HALEU-producing cascade, a 16-centrifuge AC-100M cascade that made over 1,900 kg of HALEU UF6 under a DOE demonstration contract ending June 2026. Centrus signed a USD 900m DOE task order in July 2026 to build commercial-scale capacity (initially 12 tonnes of HALEU a year plus LEU), with first new capacity expected by 2029.
New to HALEU and enrichment? HALEU, explained: the fuel advanced reactors need · The U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain, explained
Current state
| Status | Expanding |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Piketon, Ohio |
| Operator | American Centrifuge Operating, LLC (Centrus Energy Corp.) |
| Ownership | Centrus Energy Corp. (NYSE American: LEU) leases the Piketon site from DOE. |
| Facility type | HALEU production |
| Technology | Gas centrifuge |
| Products | LEU, HALEU |
| Target year | 2029 |
| HALEU output (kg) | 1,900 |
| HALEU output basis | Cumulative |
| License | NRC-licensed to produce HALEU up to 20% U-235 (since 2021). |
| Government support | 2019 DOE HALEU demonstration contract (expanded 2022, incl. ~USD 150m cost share); USD 900m DOE HALEU enrichment task order (announced Jan 5, 2026; finalized Jul 1, 2026), total contract value USD 1.07bn including USD 170m of HALEU purchase options. |
| Offtake | Definitive LEU/HALEU enrichment services agreement with X-energy (Aug 2026, with prepayments); letter of intent with Oklo (June 2026) per WNA; existing LEU backlog of about USD 2.4bn. |
Notes
haleu output is cumulative (>1,900 kg HALEU UF6) under the 2019 demonstration contract through June 2026; the existing cascade's rate is about 900 kg/yr. Expansion target: 12 t HALEU/yr initial build-out (earlier plans cited ~6,000 kg/yr); no SWU figure published. Fluor holds the EPC contract (Feb 2026, per Centrus 10-Q snippet). ACP is the only US facility licensed to enrich to 20%.
Timeline
- 2019 — Centrus won a DOE contract to build an advanced centrifuge cascade at Piketon to demonstrate HALEU production. (source)
- 2023-11 — Centrus delivered its first 20 kg of HALEU to DOE. (source)
- 2025-06 — DOE extended the HALEU operation contract through 30 June 2026 after Centrus completed 900 kg of Phase II production. (source)
- 2026-01-05 — DOE announced a USD 900m task order to American Centrifuge Operating to create domestic HALEU enrichment capacity. (source)
- 2026-06 — Centrus completed the final 900 kg of HALEU UF6 under the demonstration contract, bringing lifetime output above 1,900 kg. (source)
- 2026-07-01 — Centrus signed a contract finalizing the USD 900m DOE task order and moved the HALEU cascade to private commercial operation. (source)
- 2026-08-06 — Centrus and X-energy signed a definitive agreement for LEU and HALEU enrichment services from Piketon. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
NNN coverage
About Centrus Energy
- The U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain, explained 2026-09-29
- The 6 nuclear stories that mattered this week 2026-09-19
- Centrus and Antares sign multi-year HALEU supply contract 2026-09-18
- Centrus to supply Radiant with HALEU for Kaleidos microreactors 2026-09-10
- HALEU, explained: the fuel advanced reactors need 2026-08-27
- X-energy and Centrus sign HALEU deal for Xe-100 2026-08-07
Related facilities
- BWXT DUECE Pilot Plant (Erwin) Planned · United States
- DOE HALEU Availability Program and HALEU allocations Program active · United States
- DOE HALEU Deconversion Services contracts Program active · United States
- DOE LEU and HALEU Enrichment Acquisition Program (task orders) Program active · United States
- General Matter Paducah Enrichment Facility Licensing · United States
- Global Laser Enrichment Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF) Licensing · United States
- Idaho National Laboratory EBR-II fuel HALEU recovery Program active · United States
- LIS Technologies laser enrichment plant (Oak Ridge) Planned · United States
See all 29 facilities in the Uranium Enrichment & HALEU Tracker →
Sources
- Centrus signs contract with DOE for $900 million award (8-K Ex. 99.1) — Centrus Energy / SEC EDGAR (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Centrus finalizes HALEU contract with the Department of Energy — International Panel on Fissile Materials, checked 2026-10-11
- Centrus HALEU contract extended — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- Centrus, X-energy sign enrichment contract as TRISO-X expands TX-1 campus — American Nuclear Society, checked 2026-10-11
- X-Energy and Centrus sign HALEU supply agreement — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- Uranium Enrichment (updated 29 Sep 2026) — World Nuclear Association, checked 2026-10-11
- DOE awards USD2.7 billion to strengthen US uranium enrichment — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- US enrichment funding recipients flesh out plans — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11