BWXT’s Centrifuge Manufacturing Development Facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
BWX Technologies announced on January 26 that it has begun operating its Centrifuge Manufacturing Development Facility in Oak Ridge, Tenn., with the purpose of reestablishing a domestic uranium enrichment capability to meet U.S. national security needs. The facility is part of a program funded by the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration to supply enriched uranium for defense needs.
Centrifuges for DUECE: Under a $1.5 billion contract with the NNSA, BWXT will use the centrifuges made at the CMDF to support the company’s Domestic Uranium Enrichment Centrifuge Experiment (DUECE) pilot plant, which is being constructed by BWXT’s Enrichment Operations subsidiary in Erwin, Tenn. This pilot plant will initially be used to demonstrate low-enriched uranium production for the NNSA’s defense missions. It will then be repurposed to produce high-enriched uranium for naval propulsion applications.
According to the NNSA, BWXT’s DUECE technology will not be used to enrich uranium for the commercial market. U.S. policy and international agreements require that any uranium used for weapons purposes—including the LEU used to produce tritium to maintain the U.S. nuclear deterrent—be “unobligated,” or free of peaceful use restrictions.
Precision manufacturing: Construction began on the facility in June 2025 on 97 acres of land. According to BWXT, the CMDF will be the company’s “primary hub for the design, engineering, fabrication, and testing of advanced gas centrifuge machines. The facility features precision manufacturing space, in-house quality assurance and testing capabilities, and specialized infrastructure to support future centrifuge production. It will accelerate the transition of centrifuge technology from development to production readiness and aligns with national priorities for energy security, defense readiness, and advanced manufacturing.”
The CMDF currently employs about 100 workers, with plans to expand the workforce as manufacturing activities scale up.
Of the CMDF’s opening, BWXT president and CEO Rex D. Geveden said, “I am so impressed with the speed at which the BWXT team moved, from breaking ground in late June to standing up this facility just seven months later. With the CMDF now operational, we are positioned to move centrifuge technology from development into production readiness while strengthening America’s sovereign nuclear supply chain.”
NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams noted, “This facility signifies the kind of speed, focus and capability our national security demands.”
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