President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a goal of quadrupling U.S. nuclear energy production by 2050. The target has put a spotlight on a less visible prerequisite: enriched uranium.

“We can't have nuclear power if we don't have enriched uranium.” — DOE Assistant Secretary Tim Walsh, speaking at the Paducah event.

From less than 1% to self-sufficiency

General Matter CEO Scott Nolan said the company's Paducah facility aims to take the United States from less than 1% of global uranium enrichment toward domestic self-sufficiency and support for allies. General Matter is a California-based nuclear fuel startup with ties to billionaire investor Peter Thiel, an ally of Trump. Nolan is a former SpaceX employee seeking to bring a tech-industry mindset to nuclear power.

The former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant enriched uranium at commercial scale until it went offline in 2013. General Matter signed a lease for a 100-acre parcel on the DOE site in August 2025 and held a groundbreaking in October 2025. It calls the project the first privately funded enrichment operation in the United States.

Federal task orders

DOE awarded General Matter a US$900 million task order in January 2026 to create domestic HALEU production capacity at Paducah. In June 2026, DOE selected Centrus for a US$900 million task order to expand its Piketon facility to include commercial-scale HALEU production; options up to US$170 million bring the total potential value to US$1.07 billion.

Centrus' expansion includes large-scale LEU production for the existing reactor fleet, HALEU for next-generation reactors, and enrichment for national security needs. The first new Ohio capacity is expected online in 2029. General Matter's schedule calls for site preparation in 2026, construction in 2027, installation and commissioning in 2028, and full operation in 2029.

The policy goal is broader than HALEU. Centrus' expansion is also meant to supply LEU for today's reactors, while General Matter's initial NRC license would enable LEU production, with a HALEU amendment planned next year. Still, the advanced reactor pipeline depends on the higher grade. With no commercial source of HALEU in the United States, DOE has been actively supporting development of a domestic supply chain.

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