Centrus says Ohio stands to gain 300 jobs as enrichers await federal contracts
Centrus Energy announced a plan yesterday to add 300 new jobs at Centrus’s uranium enrichment plant in Piketon, Ohio “in advance of federal funding decisions.” The company envisions adding capacity for both low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium production at the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, but the “size and scope” of public and private investment is “subject to being selected for funding by the U.S. Department of Energy.”
Specifically, Centrus says the expansion, announced in collaboration with JobsOhio, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, and Pike County Economic Development, could create 1,000 construction jobs and add at least 300 new operations jobs at the site that currently employs 127. If carried out, the project would also support jobs at Centrus’s centrifuge manufacturing plant in Tennessee and throughout its manufacturing supply chain, which currently spans 14 major suppliers in 13 states.
Awaiting contracts: Centrus is one of several companies chosen in late 2024 to compete for federal enrichment contracts and recently submitted proposals to the Department of Energy. Four potential HALEU enrichers were announced in October, and two laser enrichment companies were added to the four for a total of six potential LEU contractors announced in December. Since being named, all six companies have signaled they are eager for enrichment task orders from the DOE.
- Centrus: Centrus was named for both LEU and HALEU enrichment and claims the status of “the only active enricher that uses American technology and manufactures centrifuges and supporting equipment exclusively in the United States.” The DOE extended Centrus’s existing HALEU production contract by one year in June.
- General Matter: General Matter emerged from stealth mode in fall 2024 to be named for both LEU and HALEU enrichment, and in August signed a lease with the DOE’s Office of Environmental Management to build an enrichment facility at the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant in Kentucky and gain access to depleted uranium hexafluoride for reenrichment.
- Global Laser Enrichment: GLE, a laser enrichment company named for potential LEU contracts, announced earlier this month that it had completed large-scale enrichment demonstration testing. In July 2025, GLE completed an application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its planned Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility, where the company plans to reenrich depleted uranium hexafluoride.
- LIS Technologies: LIST, a laser enrichment company named for potential LEU contracts, is developing its technology and staffing its team in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
- Orano USA: Orano USA, named for both LEU and HALEU enrichment, in June opened a 40-person office to support its planned Project Ike enrichment facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn., which was first announced in September 2024.
- Urenco USA: Urenco USA, which operates an LEU enrichment facility in Eunice, N.M., was named for both LEU and HALEU enrichment, and announced in May that it had initiated production in its newest centrifuge enrichment cascade, the first in a 15 percent site capacity addition to be completed in 2027.
A state of readiness: Centrus’s potential expansion would be supported by more than $1.2 billion raised in a pair of convertible note transactions over the last 12 months and more than $2 billion in contingent purchase commitments from utility customers in the United States and around the world, according to the company, with other potential investments from industry partners.
Centrus says it has begun hiring in anticipation of the expansion and is partnering with JobsOhio—a private nonprofit economic development corporation—to identify and recruit potential job applicants.
“The time has come to restore America's ability to enrich uranium at scale,” said Centrus CEO Amir Vexler. “We are planning a historic, multibillion-dollar investment right here in Ohio—supported by a nationwide supply chain to do just that.”
Support in Congress and the governor’s office: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, and U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor all back the expansion.
"Centrus’s commitment to expand and upgrade its Piketon facility underscores Ohio's importance in supporting our nation's economic and national security," said DeWine. "Uranium enrichment operations in Piketon have played a critical role in U.S. national defense since the earliest days of the Cold War, and Centrus’s facility provides the only technology available today capable of building out domestic enrichment at an industrial scale."
"Today's announcement is critical, not just for the people of southeast Ohio but for our nation. Expanding our ability to enrich uranium here in Ohio will continue America's legacy as the global leader in nuclear development," said Husted.
"In step with President Trump, Centrus is restoring American energy dominance, bringing back energy independence, and creating good American jobs to put our talented workforce to work," said Taylor. "I am confident that the critical work being done right here at Centrus’s Piketon plant will keep Ohio a leader in nuclear energy and usher America into a new golden age of energy production."
