Lesson 2 2.8 Enrichment Facilities and Proliferation Concerns

At present, the major suppliers of enriched uranium worldwide are:

  • URENCO (UK, Netherlands, Germany) — gas centrifuge
  • Orano (France) — gas centrifuge (George Besse II)
  • Tenex / TVEL (Russia) — gas centrifuge
  • USEC / Centrus (USA) — gas centrifuge
  • CNNC (China) — gas centrifuge

Note: The old docket listed several suppliers using the diffusion process. Today, all major commercial enrichment is by gas centrifuge. The last gaseous diffusion plant (Paducah in the USA) ceased enrichment operations in 2013, and the French George Besse I plant closed in 2012, replaced by the centrifuge-based George Besse II.