France’s Orano selects site in Tennessee to build uranium enrichment plant By Reuters

By Timothy Gardner and Benjamin Mallet

WASHINGTON/PARIS (Reuters) – French state nuclear fuel company Orano has selected Oak Ridge, Tennessee, as its preferred location to build a multibillion-dollar uranium enrichment plant, Tennessee and Orano officials said on Wednesday.

The move comes months after President Joe Biden’s administration signed legislation to finally end reliance on Russia, the world’s main supplier of enriched uranium. The law imposed a ban on imports of enriched uranium from Russia and freed up to $2.7 billion in US funding for domestic uranium projects.

Jean-Luc Palayer, CEO and president of Orano USA, said the company is preparing the necessary next steps for the plant, including securing US federal support, customer commitments and obtaining a license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and approval from Orano’s board of directors.

“But today we celebrate this major milestone toward bringing online a new enrichment facility to help meet our country’s need for an increased and secure domestic supply of nuclear fuel,” Palayer said. Orano USA is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland.

Officials said the plant will create more than 300 jobs in Tennessee. The project is also supported by the Tennessee Nuclear Energy Fund, which has about $60 million in approved funding.