Orano-USA on Wednesday said the company could build a uranium enrichment plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn., using some state funding and Department of Energy land.
The planned, “multi-billion dollar” 750,000 square-foot facility will employ about 300 people in Roane County, Tenn., according to a press release from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Tenn. Gov. Bill Lee (D) was on hand for the announcement, the release said.
In a subsequent statement Wednesday, an Orano spokesperson told the Exchange Monitor in an email that there is no timeline for building the facility.
“Decisions and estimations about the commercial enrichment facility are yet to come, other than this announcement is directly in line with the DOE’s interest to increase domestic enrichment capacity,” the Orano spokesperson wrote. “Our next milestones include securing federal support, formalizing customer commitments, and transferring the land from DOE.”