Westinghouse is investing roughly $1 billion in a nuclear fuel factory at its existing Columbia site in Hopkins, South Carolina. Scheduled to open in 2030, it will be the first US nuclear fuel plant of this scale built in more than 50 years. It will supply existing commercial reactors and Westinghouse AP1000 reactors worldwide.
The factory will produce LEU+, a fuel with uranium enrichment levels of 5% to 8%, above those of standard commercial fuel. This means it contains a higher concentration of the uranium needed to release energy. Reactors can therefore operate longer between shutdowns to replace fuel, reducing running costs while supplying steady electricity. The investment supports the US UPRISE initiative, which aims to increase electricity production at existing nuclear plants without building new reactor vessels. LEU+ was first used commercially in an American reactor in 2025; the factory is intended to make its use more widespread.
Separately, Westinghouse tested its eVinci microreactor, a small nuclear reactor, at high temperatures in September. Engineers measured how its core behaved and compared the results with their mathematical models. These checks help identify differences between real conditions and computer predictions, allowing the team to improve its simulation software before building final prototype equipment.
