BWX Technologies, Inc. announced a contract from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to complete a yearlong engineering study to evaluate options for the deployment of a centrifuge pilot plant that would establish a domestic uranium enrichment capability for national security purposes.
Awarded to BWXT subsidiary Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc., this contract represents the next phase of the NNSA’s Domestic Uranium Enrichment Centrifuge Experiment (DUECE). The NNSA’s DUECE program, developed and managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), is intended to preserve and advance uranium enrichment expertise and technology for current and future U.S. national security needs.
The objective of this engineering study is to inform the acquisition approach for a pilot plant that will demonstrate the DUE centrifuge performance, reliability and life-cycle costs for the NNSA. Fluor will be the engineering, procurement and construction service provider for the activity.
“BWXT’s entry into the domestic uranium enrichment market is driven by our unwavering commitment to national security, and we look forward to working with NNSA and ORNL to advance the DUECE program,” said Kevin McCoy, president of BWXT Government Operations. “Given BWXT’s unique nuclear operations infrastructure and NRC Category 1 uranium handling and processing licenses, this venture aligns well with BWXT's long-standing strategy to expand its role in the national security nuclear fuel cycle.”
According to the NNSA, the U.S. Government currently lacks the ability to enrich uranium to support defense missions. This program is working to establish a new capability in time to meet national security needs using centrifuge technologies. There is a need to develop and demonstrate centrifuge technologies to better characterize performance, reliability, and life-cycle costs prior to selecting a path forward for a production-scale capability.
