Centrus Energy has completed and begun shipping its first new centrifuge as part of its domestic uranium enrichment expansion at Piketon, Ohio, a tangible step in the effort to restore U.S. commercial HALEU production capacity.

Manufacturing milestone at Piketon

The company said its proven centrifuge manufacturing process produced the machine, which is now being shipped for the expansion. Centrus is scaling its American Centrifuge technology and qualified manufacturing processes for commercial HALEU production at its American Centrifuge Plant in Pike County, Ohio.

The first new centrifuge follows years of centrifuge testing and manufacturing development. Centrus has positioned the Piketon site as the base for new enrichment capacity that can serve both commercial and national security customers.

Customer commitments reach $5.4 billion

Centrus said it has secured $5.4 billion in customer contracts and commitments to purchase low-enriched uranium and HALEU from its new enrichment capacity. That aggregate figure covers both fuel categories and was not broken down by product or customer.

The Oklo agreements announced Nov. 12, 2026 added definitive multi-year HALEU purchase contracts to that backlog. Oklo will make prepayments for future deliveries, joining prepayments Centrus has previously received to help fund the buildout.

Centrus CEO Amir Vexler said Oklo's prepayments will help fund the buildout as the company scales its American Centrifuge technology and qualified manufacturing processes for commercial HALEU production.

Supply chain and schedule questions

The centrifuge shipment is a manufacturing indicator, not a guarantee of on-time HALEU deliveries. Oklo's contracted deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2029, leaving a multi-year window for Centrus to complete construction, install and cascade machines, and demonstrate commercial HALEU output.

The broader HALEU supply chain also depends on deconversion and fuel-fabrication capacity, which Oklo's risk disclosures identified as potential constraints. Centrus has said its buildout is supported by a complete, unobligated supply chain intended to serve commercial and national security markets.

For HALEU buyers, the Piketon expansion is one of the few Western projects with a named reactor customer, a delivery start date and customer prepayments. Those features make it a bellwether for whether advanced reactor fuel supply can scale alongside reactor construction schedules.

This article was assisted by AI analysis. Please refer to the original source for official information.