France’s state-owned nuclear fuel company Orano has chosen Oak Ridge, Tennessee as a preferred site to build a multi-billion-dollar US uranium enrichment plant – with the facility potentially up and running in the early 2030s.
The move comes months after president Joe Biden signed legislation meant to end dependence on Russia, the world’s top supplier of enriched uranium for nuclear fuel.
Biden’s signature unlocked some $2.7bn (€2.4bn) in spending, previously approved by Congress, to build up domestic uranium supplies for US nuclear plants.