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Urenco USA has commenced commercial production of low-enriched uranium-plus, known as LEU+, at its National Enrichment Facility in New Mexico — a milestone that broadens the enrichment product slate available to nuclear fuel buyers in the United States and internationally.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission granted authorisation in September 2025 for the facility to enrich uranium up to 10% U-235. All gas centrifuge cascades at the plant are now licensed to produce LEU+, enabling the full site capacity to be directed toward the higher-assay product when required.

What is LEU+ and Why Does It Matter?

Conventional commercial reactor fuel is fabricated using low-enriched uranium enriched to between 3% and 5% U-235. LEU+ occupies the band between 5% and 10% U-235, sitting above standard LEU but below the high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) threshold of 10–20% U-235.

For existing light water reactors, LEU+ fuel can support longer operating cycles, reducing the frequency of refuelling outages and associated operations and maintenance costs. Several advanced reactor designs currently under development are also specified to use LEU+ fuel. Additionally, LEU+ can serve as a feedstock for the production of HALEU, which is required by a further subset of next-generation reactor technologies.

Capacity Expansion Under Way

Urenco USA is currently installing an additional 700,000 separative work units (SWU) of centrifuge enrichment capacity at the New Mexico site as part of a broader programme to grow its total US enrichment output to more than 7 million SWU over the next decade.

Beyond the ongoing expansion, the company has announced plans for an entirely new enrichment plant at the same location, sized at 2.1 million SWU. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2029, with the first centrifuge cascades expected to enter production in 2032 and further cascades to be commissioned through to 2036. The new plant will also be capable of producing LEU+, extending the higher-assay supply base as demand from both conventional and advanced reactor customers grows.

Industry Context

The commencement of LEU+ commercial production represents a concrete step in efforts to develop a reliable domestic enrichment supply chain in the United States, particularly as interest in advanced reactor deployment accelerates. Having a licensed, operating source of LEU+ reduces a key fuel-supply dependency for reactor developers and utilities planning longer fuel cycles or transitioning to next-generation designs.

Licensing milestone planned for 2027

Saltfoss, the Danish advanced reactor developer formerly operating as Seaborg, has announced plans to submit a Regulatory Engagement Plan to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the first quarter of 2027. The company intends to pursue licensing under Part 53, the NRC's recently issued regulatory framework that establishes a risk-informed, performance-based, and technology-inclusive pathway as an alternative to existing licensing routes for commercial nuclear plants. Saltfoss believes it will be the first advanced reactor developer licensed under Part 53 and the first anywhere to achieve licensing for an advanced maritime small modular reactor.

The seaMSR-100 is a loop-style molten salt reactor standardised at 100 MWe per module. Operating near atmospheric pressure at temperatures between 600 and 700 degrees Celsius and fuelled by low-enriched uranium, the design incorporates a passive safety characteristic: the fuel salt solidifies below approximately 500 degrees Celsius, trapping radioactive material and enabling the reactor to shut down and drain by gravity without operator intervention or external power. Saltfoss completed the conceptual design of the seaMSR in 2025 after six years of development. Modules can be deployed on barges in configurations delivering up to 600 MWe, with target applications including coastal industrial power and heat, grid baseload supply, and hyperscale data centres.

Dual-hub supply chain across the US and South Korea

Saltfoss has outlined a manufacturing strategy that divides production responsibilities between two allied nations. Reactor assembly, fuel loading, and final power plant integration will be carried out at facilities in the United States, while barge and hull series production will remain with Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea. The company describes this arrangement as a dual-hub manufacturing model intended to deliver the lowest-cost path to first deployment and scale while preserving allied supply-chain resilience.

CEO Klaus Nyengaard stated that the company is combining a reactor design heritage proven at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the shipbuilding and nuclear supply chain capabilities of South Korea. Saltfoss also indicated it will align its US application path with South Korea's National Safety and Security Commission, with South Korea expected to host some of the platform's first commercial deployments outside the United States.