A planned USD 5bn centrifuge enrichment plant by Orano on former Manhattan Project land in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The NRC accepted its licence application for an accelerated 12-month review in May 2026, and DOE awarded Orano a USD 900m LEU task order for the project in January 2026; LEU production is slated to begin in 2031.
New to HALEU and enrichment? HALEU, explained: the fuel advanced reactors need · The U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain, explained
Current state
| Status | Licensing |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Oak Ridge, Tennessee |
| Operator | Orano Enrichment USA (Orano) |
| Ownership | Orano USA subsidiary of French state-majority-owned Orano. |
| Facility type | Enrichment plant |
| Technology | Gas centrifuge |
| Products | LEU, LEU+ |
| Target capacity (tSWU/yr) | 7,400 |
| License | NRC licence application submitted early 2026 (completed March 2026), accepted for review 21 May 2026; hearing opportunity noticed 12 Aug 2026; NRC aims to finish review in about 12 months (around April 2027). |
| Government support | USD 900m DOE LEU enrichment task order (Task Order 2, Jan 5, 2026); support from the State of Tennessee Nuclear Energy Fund. |
Notes
Capacity 7,400 tSWU/yr is from IPFM citing an industry report on the licence application; Orano's release gives no SWU figure. Enrichment ceiling: NRC/ANS say up to 8 wt% U-235 (LEU+ range), IPFM says up to 10%. Feed includes re-enrichment of depleted UF6 tails. 2031 LEU start per WNN (Jan 2026); no capacity target year confirmed by Orano.
Timeline
- 2024-09 — Orano selected Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as the site for a new US enrichment plant. (source)
- 2026-01-05 — DOE finalized a USD 900m task order with Orano Federal Services to expand US LEU enrichment capacity via Project IKE. (source)
- 2026-03 — Orano completed submission of its NRC licence application. (source)
- 2026-05-21 — The NRC accepted the Project IKE licence application for an accelerated 12-month review. (source)
- 2026-08-12 — A Federal Register notice opened a 60-day window to request a hearing on the application. (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 Orano
- NRC opens hearing window for Orano’s Project Ike 2026-08-20
- NNSA funding for BWXT's DUECE enrichment pilot plant hits $266.7M 2026-10-11
- General Matter walks NRC through Paducah enrichment license filing 2026-10-11
- The U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain, explained 2026-09-29
- HALEU, explained: the fuel advanced reactors need 2026-08-27
- DOE nuclear funding, explained: every program paying for the buildout 2026-08-05
Related facilities
- Angarsk Electrolysis Chemical Combine (AECC) Operating · Russia
- BWXT DUECE Pilot Plant (Erwin) Planned · United States
- Centrus American Centrifuge Plant (Piketon HALEU cascade and expansion) Expanding · United States
- CNEA Pilcaniyeu enrichment plant Shut down · Argentina
- CNNC Emeishan uranium enrichment plant (Plant 814) Expanding · China
- CNNC Hanzhong uranium enrichment plant (Plant 405) Expanding · China
- CNNC Lanzhou uranium enrichment plant (Plant 504) Expanding · China
- DOE HALEU Availability Program and HALEU allocations Program active · United States
See all 29 facilities in the Uranium Enrichment & HALEU Tracker →
Sources
- Orano Advances Project IKE with NRC Acceptance for Review of Uranium Enrichment License Application — Orano USA (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- NRC opens, defines hearing opportunity for Orano's Project Ike — American Nuclear Society, checked 2026-10-11
- NRC accepted Orano's license application for the Project Ike enrichment facility in Oak Ridge — International Panel on Fissile Materials, 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