Centrus Energy Corporation announced Monday it has signed a contract with UT-Battelle, LLC, as operator of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), to continue advancing the AC100, a U.S. gas centrifuge uranium enrichment technology, at the Oak Ridge, Tenn., facility.
The new contract is valued at $16 million, with payments made upon completing certain defined milestones, and runs through September 30, 2018, Centrus announced.
Under the contract, Centrus’ scientists, engineers, and operators will test improvements developed by the Company for the AC100 centrifuge machine in specialized facilities in Oak Ridge. Centrus has worked under contract with ORNL since 2014 to improve the AC100 gas centrifuge technology to support national security and energy security needs.
Daniel Poneman, Centrus president and chief executive officer, said the AC100 centrifuge technology contributed to “America's vital strategic interests.”