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Uranium Energy expands production capacity, advances refinery licensing

Staff Writer | March 24, 2026


Irigaray central processing plant in Wyoming. Credit; Uranium Energy Corp.
Uranium Energy (NYSE-A: UEC) says it has secured Wyoming state approval for additional header houses at its Christensen Ranch in-situ recovery (ISR) operation as part of a planned expansion.

On Tuesday, the Texas-based uranium producer announced that it has begun operating three additional header houses at wellfield 11. One more head house remains subject to regulatory approval, and three more are under construction in wellfield 12 and 10-extension, it added.

“With this approval, we have started uranium extraction at the new header houses enabling the planned increase in production volume at our Christensen Ranch operations,” Brent Berg, SVP of US operations, said in a press release.

The Christensen Ranch operation began in August 2024 and is currently undergoing a major expansion with three new wellfields to increase production, targeting up to 4 million lb. of annual capacity.

The recovered uranium is processed at the Irigaray plant, which is built to serve as the central hub for the 11 projects that UEC holds in the Powder River Basin area. In February 2025, the plant produced its first drummed uranium concentrate, and is now being upgraded for increased throughput.

Conversion facility licensing

UEC also said it has moved a step closer to building a uranium refining and conversion facility, having received a docket number from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to move forward with the application for a licence.

The facility, the location of which has yet to be determined, represents a key step in the development of a vertically integrated US-based uranium supply chain that connects UEC’s mining operations with advanced conversion technology.

According to the company, its facility would be the largest of its kind in the country, with the capacity to produce 10,000 metric tonnes of uranium hexafluoride annually, equal to over half of the US demand.

The formal licence application for the plant is expected to be submitted once engineering and design activities, currently underway with Fluor, are complete and a site has been selected, it said on Tuesday.

Shares of UEC shot up more than 3% to trade above $13 apiece in New York, giving the company a market capitalization of $6.3 billion.

Myriad Uranium doubles size of Wyoming project

Staff Writer | March 11, 2026

Myriad Uranium says it has effectively doubled the size of its flagship project in Wyoming after geophysical survey results indicated potential in other parts of the property that it has yet staked.

The project, known as Copper Mountain, has now been expanded from 9,439 acres to 18,351 acres to cover all key areas and targets across the district, Myriad said in a press release on Tuesday.

The company staked these additional claims after recent geophysical surveys at Copper Mountain led to the identification of uranium anomalies in previously untested grounds, mostly towards the eastern parts of the property.

To determine which areas to acquire, Myriad said it integrated the new geophysical data with its existing geological dataset, including insights derived from studies completed by Bendix Field Engineering for the US Department of Energy in 1982.

The Bendix study estimated uranium endowments at Copper Mountain of approximately 655 million lb. in uranium oxide equivalent (eU₃O₈) to a depth of 600 feet within a broader “assessment area,” and 245 million lb. eU₃O₈ at the same depth within a more focused “control area.”

Before the expanded staking, most of Myriad’s claims clustered to the west, which is where this historic uranium resource lies. Following the update, the company now controls approximately 62% of the assessment area and 80% of the control area.
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“Confidence is increasing that we now have one of the largest uranium projects in the United States,” he added.

Oak Ridge at heart of US enrichment supply chain developments

26 January 2026

BWX Technologies and Centrus Energy have marked major milestones as they build up their centrifuge manufacturing capacity in Tennessee, with BWXT opening a new facility and Centrus announcing major expansion plans, while laser enrichment technology LIS Technologies is also investing in Oak Ridge.


(image: Centrus)

Centrus's plans for a major expansion of its facility at Oak Ridge to a "high-rate manufacturing plant" were announced by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Deputy Governor Stuart McWhorter and Centrus Energy President and CEO Amir Vexler. The expansion will see the creation of nearly 430 new jobs as Centrus invests more than USD560 million over "several years" to support both the growth in workforce and investment in the production of thousands of advanced centrifuges.

The company announced in December that it had started manufacturing centrifuges at Oak Ridge - relying on a domestic manufacturing supply chain - to support its commercial low-enriched uranium enrichment activities at Piketon, Ohio, where it plans a major expansion of its uranium enrichment plant to help the company meet America’s commercial and national security requirements.

The company was recently awarded funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to expand its uranium enrichment plant in Ohio with centrifuges produced in Tennessee. It has also utilised funding from Tennessee’s USD70 million Nuclear Energy Fund, which is administered through the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

"These advanced centrifuges are essential to meeting America's energy security and national security requirements," Vexler said. "We are honoured to be a part of the vibrant ecosystem of nuclear energy leaders in East Tennessee and grateful for the strong support of federal, state and local leaders here."
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Orano may seek investors for $5 billion nuclear fuel plant in US

Bloomberg News | January 9, 2026

French nuclear fuel producer Orano SA said it may seek minority investors to help finance a $5 billion uranium enrichment plant that’s planned in Tennessee.


Orano was awarded $900 million this week by the US government to build the facility, but it’s still studying options for the rest of the funding required, the company said Tuesday. That may include equity and debt, as well as potential minority partners.

The Trump administration awarded funds to three nuclear fuel makers as part of an effort to restart domestic production and wean the US off Russian supplies. The move comes amid surging power demand from data centers and mounting pressure on politicians to tame rising energy bills.

State-controlled Orano, which already supplies enriched uranium to US utilities from a plant in France, aims to reach a final investment decision on its US project next year, pending regulatory approvals. Production in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, would start in 2031.

US awards $2.7 billion worth of orders to boost uranium enrichment

Reuters | January 5, 2026

The US Energy Department announced on Monday it was awarding orders totaling $2.7 billion to three companies to boost domestic uranium enrichment over the next 10 years in a broader effort to reduce US dependence on Russian supply.


American Centrifuge Operating, General Matter and Orano Federal Services secured the orders, the department said in a statement.

The contracts would require the companies to meet specific milestones to provide enrichment services for low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium, or HALEU, for existing nuclear power plants and new, smaller modular reactors.

“Today’s awards show that this Administration is committed to restoring a secure domestic nuclear fuel supply chain capable of producing the nuclear fuels needed to power the reactors of today and the advanced reactors of tomorrow,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said.


Russia is currently the only country that makes HALEU – uranium enriched to between 5% and 20%, which is said to make new high-tech reactors more efficient – in commercial volumes. Funds to make the fuel domestically in the United States were included in a law to ban uranium shipments from Russia fully by 2028.

The DOE awarded American Centrifuge Operating, a subsidiary of Centrus Energy, and General Matter, backed by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, with $900 million each to develop domestic HALEU enrichment capacity. It awarded Orano Federal Services with $900 million to expand domestic low-enrichment uranium production.

The Energy Department separately awarded an additional $28 million to Global Laser Enrichment, part-owned by Canadian uranium company Cameco, to further its work to build next-generation uranium enrichment technology for the nuclear fuel cycle.

Global Laser Enrichment had sought a $900 million award.

HALEU’s critics say it is a weapons risk if it gets into the wrong hands and recommend limiting enrichment to between 10% and 12% for safety. Uranium fuel used in today’s reactors is enriched to about 5%.

Duke Energy submits early site permit application for nuclear project

Friday, 2 January 2026

Duke Energy has submitted a technology-neutral application to the US nuclear regulator for an early site permit for potential small modular reactors at a site near the Belews Creek Steam Station in North Carolina.


The proposed site at Belews Creek (Image: Duke Energy)

An early site permit - or ESP - is an optional process to confirm a site's suitability for new nuclear generation: possession of such a permit reduces the risk of delays during licensing and construction. The early site permit is technology neutral - a technology can be selected later in the development process - but Duke said its application includes six potential reactor technologies, including four small modular reactor (SMR) designs and two non-light-water designs. Large light-water reactors are not included in the permit application.

"We're taking a strategic approach to new nuclear development that allows us to advance licensing activities while reducing risks and allowing technologies to mature," said Duke Energy's Chief Nuclear Officer Kelvin Henderson.

An early site permit will provide "future optionality" for Duke's customers and the communities it serves, the company said, adding that - if additional evaluation confirms small modular reactor technology at the Belews Creek site offers the best value for customers - it plans to add 600 megawatts of advanced nuclear to the system by 2037, with the first reactor coming on line in 2036. An early site permit is valid for 10 to 20 years, and can be renewed for an additional 10 to 20 years, but would not allow the construction of a plant to begin - that would require a construction permit, or a combined construction and operation licence.

Submission of the application to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) marks the culmination of two years of work, Duke Energy said.

The NRC notified Duke in a letter dated 18 December that it had completed a pre-application readiness assessment of the draft site safety analysis report, environmental report and other supporting documents for the application.

In October, Duke Energy filed a resource plan with utility regulators proposing the evaluation of large light-water reactor technology, as well as small SMRs, to help meet growing electricity demand across North Carolina and South Carolina. The plan identifies the William States Lee III Nuclear Station site in Cherokee County, South Carolina, and the Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant site in Wake County, North Carolina, as those best suited for new large reactors.

The existing Belews Creek Steam Station is a two-unit plant on the shores of Belew Lake, in Stokes County, with a total capacity of 2200 MWe. It was built as a coal-fired plant, entering commercial operation in 1974, but is now co-fired on coal and natural gas (co-firing means the units can use either coal or natural gas, or a combination of these fuels). The current units are scheduled to retire in the late 2030s. Repurposing the site offers a cost-saving opportunity for customers, and enables Duke Energy to reinvest in the local community, the company has said.

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Two SMR projects selected for US federal funding

Wednesday, 3 December 2025

The US Department of Energy has selected Tennessee Valley Authority and Holtec to each receive USD400 million in federal cost-shared funding to support early deployments of advanced light-water small modular reactors in the USA.

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Anfield seeks approval to restart Colorado uranium-vanadium mine

Reuters | November 19, 2025


JD-8 is part of the company’s West Slope project in southwestern Colorado. Credit: Anfield Energy

Anfield Energy said on Wednesday it has applied for state approval to restart its past-producing JD-8 uranium and vanadium mine in Colorado, positioning the company to restart production in the second half of 2026.
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Constellation secures USD1 billion loan for reactor restart

Wednesday, 19 November 2025

US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced that the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office has closed a USD1 billion loan to Constellation Energy Generation to help finance the restart of Three Mile Island unit 1, now known as the Crane Clean Energy Centre.
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Eagle Energy Metals reports positive metallurgical results for Aurora uranium project

Staff Writer | November 12, 2025

Eagle Energy Metals reported on Wednesday new metallurgical optimization results from its flagship Aurora uranium project in southeast Oregon.


The company acquired the Aurora uranium project in 2024, which it says is the largest mineable uranium deposit in the US. Its land package spans the Oregon-Nevada border, with the mine on the Oregon side and the plant on the Nevada side.


The results showed recoveries in the high-80% range and an approximate 60% reduction in acid use, signaling major gains in processing efficiency and cost reduction, the company said in a press release.

According to Eagle, the tests demonstrated no requirement for separate processing of clay and middlings, simplifying the flowsheet while reducing capital and operating costs. Also, the leach duration was reduced to around 12 hours from 24 hours previously, with no requirement for ferric sulphate, further reducing reagent costs.

Eagle’s flagship project includes the Aurora deposit, with 32.75 million lb. indicated and nearly 5 million lb. inferred of near-surface uranium resource, and the adjacent Cordex deposit, which it says offers significant potential to expand the project’s overall resource inventory, based on over 500 completed drill holes.

Uranium is a crucial source of reliable baseload power as nuclear energy, and the US requires an estimated 32 million lb. of uranium annually for its current nuclear reactors. Energy Fuels’ White Mesa in Utah is the only producing mill in the US.

In 2024, the US purchased 50 million lb. of uranium, but only produced 677,000 lb., according to the Energy Information Administration.

“Reducing acid use and cutting processing times can make a meaningful difference in the economics of a uranium project,” Eagle Energy Metals CEO Mark Mukhija said in the news release.

“These results show that Aurora’s uranium may be recovered more efficiently and at lower cost than anticipated, without sacrificing performance,” Mukhija continued. “For Eagle, that would be a clear validation of the project’s quality and a key step toward building a reliable US uranium supply chain that can support the nation’s clean energy goals.”

Eagle expects the project to serve as its flagship asset following the completion of its proposed business combination with Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. Upon closing, Eagle plans to list on Nasdaq under the ticker NUCL.

By pairing a large, geologically low-risk uranium resource with its SMR technology, Eagle said it aims to help strengthen the US uranium supply and help rebuild a secure domestic nuclear supply chain.

Anfield breaks ground at Utah uranium mine

Thursday, 13 November 2025

Weeks after receiving its final construction permit from the State of Utah, Anfield Energy has broken ground at the Velvet-Wood Uranium-Vanadium Mine - first production could be as soon as 2026.

The symbolic first dig marked the official launch of construction activities including mine reopening, dewatering, and development, following expedited federal and state approvals. The mine, in southeastern Utah, was approved for fast-tracked development earlier this year, and the company said the milestone underscores the alignment between policy advancements and on-the-ground progress in revitalising the US domestic uranium supply chain.

The ground-breaking ceremony on 6 November took place as the US Geological Survey (USGS) published its newest list of critical minerals which, for the first time since 2018, now contains uranium - and the timing "could not be more auspicious", Anfield said, adding that it "sets the stage for potential first production in 2026".

"This is a transformative moment for both American energy security and Anfield," said said CEO Corey Dias. "With uranium now officially classified as a critical mineral, our advanced-stage projects located in both Utah and Colorado potentially stand to benefit from expedited permitting, targeted federal investments, and enhanced market access. We've now broken ground at our Velvet-Wood mine, and this policy shift will supercharge our path to near-term production, delivering clean, reliable nuclear fuel to the grid while reducing reliance on overseas suppliers."

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Palisades receives fuel ahead of restart

Tuesday, 21 October 2025

The Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan has taken delivery of 68 new nuclear fuel assemblies as efforts to restart the plant later this year continue, Holtec International announced.



"Procuring new fuel was among the earliest long-lead activities in the project, requiring months of technical preparation and regulatory coordination," the company said. "Palisades' historic transition from decommissioning to operations status that occurred with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's authorisation in late August 2025 enabled the plant to receive new fuel at the site."
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Le gouvernement américain va investir 80 milliards de dollars dans de nouveaux réacteurs nucléaires Westinghouse

AFP •28/10/2025

Le gouvernement américain va investir au moins 80 milliards de dollars dans la construction de nouveaux réacteurs nucléaires conventionnels en vertu d'un partenariat annoncé mardi avec le groupe américain Westinghouse Electric Company.

C'est une nouvelle étape majeure du rebond du nucléaire aux Etats-Unis, en partie initié par les géants du secteur technologique aux besoins croissants en électricité pour alimenter leurs centres de données (data centers), notamment pour l'intelligence artificielle (IA).

L'accord constitue le prolongement d'un décret pris fin mai par Donald Trump et intitulé "redynamiser le parc nucléaire industriel", dans lequel le président américain fixait l'objectif de dix réacteurs conventionnels en chantier d'ici 2030.

Les Etats-Unis n'ont plus mis en chantier de nouvelle centrale nucléaire depuis 2009 et avaient, durant plus d'une décennie, délaissé cette source d'énergie, du fait notamment de son image dégradée auprès du grand public et du dérapage financier de plusieurs projets.

Mais l'invasion de l'Ukraine par la Russie a entraîné un bouleversement des équilibres du marché de l'énergie, qui a incité les Etats à diversifier leurs approvisionnements.

A cela s'est ajoutée l'accélération de la consommation d'électricité aux Etats-Unis sous l'effet de la montée en puissance des centres de données avec la révolution de l'informatique à distance (cloud) et de l'IA.

Fin juin, la gouverneure de l'Etat de New York, Kathy Hochul, a annoncé avoir initié le projet d'une nouvelle centrale, quatre ans seulement après la fermeture du site d'Indian Point, jugée trop proche de New York.

Depuis le grave incident du site de Three Mile Island (Pennsylvanie), qui a failli provoquer, en mars 1979, la rupture de la cuve d'un réacteur et la contamination radioactive de toute une région, un seul permis a été délivré aux Etats-Unis.

Il concernait les unités 3 et 4 du site Vogtle, situé près de Waynesboro (Géorgie). L'unité 3 a été mise en service en juillet 2023 et l'unité 4 en avril 2024.

Westinghouse Electric Company est une émanation de l'énergéticien historique Westinghouse Electric Corporation, fondée en 1886 à Pittsburgh (nord-est).

Elle a déposé le bilan en 2017 avant d'être rachetée en 2018 par la société d'investissement Brookfield Corporation, qui en est l'actionnaire majoritaire tandis que le géant canadien de l'uranium Cameco possède une participation minoritaire.

Google annonce le redémarrage d'une centrale nucléaire aux Etats-Unis afin d'alimenter son IA

AFP •28/10/2025

Google a annoncé lundi avoir passé un accord avec le groupe américain NextEra Energy qui prévoit la remise en service début 2029 de la centrale nucléaire Duane Arnold, dans l'Iowa (centre), pour le développement des infrastructures de l'IA du géant californien.

L'accord entre les deux entreprises vise à "répondre à la demande croissante en énergie de l'intelligence artificielle (IA) grâce à une énergie nucléaire propre et fiable", ont-elles annoncé dans un communiqué commun.

"La pierre angulaire de cette collaboration est le redémarrage prévu de Duane Arnold", ont-elles ajouté, précisant que la centrale, fermée en 2020, "devrait être mise en service et alimenter le réseau électrique d'ici le premier trimestre 2029".

C'est le troisième projet de réouverture de centrale dévoilé récemment, après ceux concernant les sites de Palisades (Michigan) en 2023 et Three Mile Island (Pennsylvanie) en 2024, signe du rebond de l'industrie nucléaire après des décennies sans investissements majeurs aux Etats-Unis.

Après avoir stagné pendant plus d'une décennie, la consommation d'électricité a accéléré ces trois dernières années, notamment sous l'effet de l'explosion de l'IA générative, gourmande en énergie.

De nombreuses entreprises cherchent à développer des petits réacteurs, aussi appelés SMR (small modular reactor), mais les premiers ne devraient pas être mis en service avant la fin de la décennie.

Pour répondre aux besoins immédiats des centres de données (data centers), qui assurent le stockage mais aussi l'utilisation de ces données pour l'IA, les grands acteurs de la tech se tournent notamment vers le parc nucléaire installé.

La centrale Duane Arnold, mise en service en 1974, avait été arrêtée en 2020 par NextEra, décidé à se tourner vers l'éolien, plus rentable économiquement.

Construction set to start at Velvet-Wood project

Wednesday, 8 October 2025

The Utah Department of Oil, Gas and Mining has given Anfield Energy Inc approval to commence the advancement of its Velvet-Wood uranium-vanadium project in San Juan County, Utah, to construction.


The Velvet-Wood project (Image: Anfield Energy)

The project is the first to be approved under a new accelerated review process launched as part of a strategic response to the national energy emergency declared by President Donald Trump in January. The US Department of the Interior (DOI) announced on 14 May that it had selected Velvet-Wood for expedited review. Less than two weeks later, the DOI approved the environmental permit for the project.

Having now received approval from the Utah Department of Oil, Gas and Mining, Anfield said it has received approval from both the Federal and State authorities. It said: "Immediate mobilisation is commencing, with groundbreaking to follow within 30 days."

Vancouver, Canada-based Anfield said that near-term plans for the Velvet-Wood project include: the reopening of the mine portal; mine dewatering; construction of surface facilities; underground inspection and pre-construction assessment; and construction of a new incline into the mine.

"We are very pleased to receive approval from the Utah Department of Oil, Gas and Mining for our Velvet-Wood project," said Anfield CEO Corey Dias. "Having achieved this critical milestone, Anfield's path is now clear to advance the Velvet-Wood mine to construction and, ultimately, to production. This reinforces our view that Velvet-Wood's status as a past-producing uranium and vanadium mine with a small environmental footprint is advantageous to the company's aim to pursue near-term production. The company will now pivot to advancing the project through the construction phase of its plan."

Anfield acquired the Velvet-Wood project, along with other conventional uranium mining assets, from Uranium One in 2015. The two areas making up the project had been historically held by separate companies: previous owner Atlas Minerals recovered some 4 million pounds U3O8 (1539 tU) - as well as 5 million pounds of V2O5 - from the Velvet deposit between 1979 and 1984. The Wood area was drilled by then-owner Uranerz between 1985 and 1991, but was not mined. The combined Velvet and Wood historical mines are currently estimated to contain 4.6 million pounds U3O8 of measured and indicated resources and inferred resources of 552,000 pounds U3O8.

Anfield is also working to advance its Shootaring Canyon mill to production-ready status concurrently with Velvet-Wood. The mill is one of only three licensed and permitted conventional uranium mills in the USA and has been on standby since 1982.