Background
The United States imports 20-25% of its enriched uranium from Russia. To reduce U.S. reliance on foreign sources of enriched uranium, the United States issued a ban on low-enriched uranium (LEU) imports from Russia from August 2024 through December 31, 2040, creating a potential gap in fuel supply.
Developing domestic capacity for LEU ensures an adequate fuel supply is available from trusted sources to maintain the current fleet of U.S. reactors and builds a strong base to supply future deployments of advanced nuclear reactors both at home and abroad.
Program Overview
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed contracts with six companies for LEU enrichment that allows them to bid on future work. The Department plans to allocate $2.7 billion to develop LEU and high-assay low-enriched uranium infrastructure capabilities. By investing in domestic enrichment, the DOE is fostering job growth, enhancing national security, and accelerating the growth of the American nuclear renaissance.
Selections
Through a solicitation issued in 2024, DOE selected six companies and allocated $2 million to each vendor to prepare proposals to compete for future work to supply LEU.
- American Centrifuge Operating, LLC
- General Matter Inc.
- Global Laser Enrichment, LLC
- Louisiana Energy Services, LLC
- Laser Isotope Separation Technologies Inc.
- Orano Federal Services, LLC
On January 5, 2026, DOE finalized task orders with the following company to expand LEU capacity in the United States over the next 10 years.
- Orano Federal Services ($900 million)
*All six previously selected companies are eligible to bid on future task orders, pending appropriations.
Task Order Opportunities
DOE issued a Request for Proposals on June 27, 2024, seeking to purchase LEU from U.S. companies, specifically new domestic enrichment capacity to support the commercial availability of LEU for U.S. commercial nuclear energy companies.
Proposals closed on August 27, 2024.
Announcements
- Read the press release announcing $2.7 billion to strengthen domestic enrichment services, published January 5, 2026.
- Read the press release announcing companies selected for LEU contracts, published December 10, 2024.
- Read the press release announcing U.S.-sourced LEU acquisition request, published June 27, 2024.
- View the LEU Request for Proposals, issued June 27, 2024.