A planned commercial HALEU enrichment plant at Urenco's Capenhurst site, co-funded by the UK government under its GBP 300m HALEU programme and targeted for operation by 2031. Urenco now cites output of up to 27 tonnes of HALEU a year, up from the 10 tonnes a year in the 2024 funding announcement; front-end engineering is under way.
New to HALEU and enrichment? HALEU, explained: the fuel advanced reactors need · The U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain, explained
Current state
| Status | Planned |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Location | Capenhurst, Cheshire, England |
| Operator | Urenco UK Ltd |
| Ownership | Urenco Group; project co-funded by the UK government. |
| Facility type | HALEU production |
| Technology | Gas centrifuge |
| Products | HALEU |
| Target year | 2031 |
| HALEU output (kg) | 27,000 |
| HALEU output basis | Target per year |
| Government support | UK government award of GBP 196m (May 2024) from a GBP 300m HALEU programme announced Jan 2024. |
Notes
Output figures conflict: 10 t/yr in the 2024 UK government announcement vs 'up to 27 tonnes' in Urenco's 2026 statements and 2025 annual report (IPFM). WNN gave both GBP 195m and GBP 196m for the award. Search snippets (not independently opened) report ~GBP 400m total cost split equally with the UK government, Costain selected for FEED due to complete in 2027, and construction to start in 2028; treat these as unconfirmed. Called the 'Advanced Fuels Facility' on Urenco's UK page.
Timeline
- 2024-01 — The UK government announced a GBP 300m programme to develop domestic HALEU production. (source)
- 2024-05-08 — The UK government awarded Urenco GBP 196m to build a HALEU facility at Capenhurst able to produce up to 10 tonnes a year by 2031. (source)
- 2026-04-16 — Urenco told the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2026 conference that the Capenhurst HALEU plant is due by 2031 with planned output of up to 27 tonnes of HALEU. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
Related facilities
- Centrus American Centrifuge Plant (Piketon HALEU cascade and expansion) Expanding · United States
- General Matter Paducah Enrichment Facility Licensing · United States
- Nusano HALEU production line (direct metallisation) Planned · United States
- Quantum Leap Energy / Necsa HALEU enrichment project (Pelindaba) Planned · South Africa
- Urenco UK Capenhurst enrichment plant Operating · United Kingdom
See all 29 facilities in the Uranium Enrichment & HALEU Tracker →
Sources
- UK aims for Urenco-built HALEU facility by 2031 — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- Urenco at the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2026 — Urenco (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Costain chosen to design UK's novel advanced nuclear fuels facility — The Chemical Engineer, checked 2026-10-11
- URENCO enrichment capacity expansion plans — International Panel on Fissile Materials, checked 2026-10-11