A 2024 law bans imports of Russian uranium into the United States, but waivers allow continued deliveries until they expire in 2028. That date, not any reactor construction schedule, is the binding deadline for the domestic enrichment build-out.
$2.7 billion and three awards
In January 2026 the U.S. Department of Energy committed $2.7 billion to rebuild domestic enrichment across three companies. Centrus locked in its HALEU tranche on 30 June. Orano and Urenco are expanding LEU capacity, while startup General Matter holds the third DOE award in the build-out.
Centrus's HALEU task order is structured as a $900 million fixed-price order with options lifting the value to $1.07 billion, and it requires delivery of one metric ton of HALEU by March 2032 — a backstop date that sits four years after the Russian waivers lapse.
Building the chain, not just the machines
Enrichment is only one link. Centrus closed its $116 million purchase of casing maker Westerman Holdings on 16 October 2026 — $95 million in cash and $21 million in stock — explicitly to support a domestic supply chain for centrifuge components. Westerman is a key supplier of centrifuge casings and other major components, and the acquisition folds a critical vendor inside the buyer.
Centrus restarted centrifuge manufacturing at Oak Ridge in December 2025 and shipped its first completed machine to Piketon ahead of its year-end target, with first new capacity expected in 2029.
The demand-side risk remains
The policy architecture is now in place: an import ban with a 2028 cliff, a $2.7 billion federal commitment, a fixed-price HALEU order and a secured component supply chain. What is not yet in place is the demand. HALEU offtake ultimately depends on advanced reactors still under construction, and Centrus must install thousands of machines at Piketon within roughly three years to hit the 2029 start.
The 2028 waiver expiry converts a strategic ambition into a compliance requirement. Whether the machines arrive in time is now a schedule question rather than a policy one.
This article was assisted by AI analysis. Please refer to the original source for official information.