Westinghouse is building a nuclear fuel factory in Hopkins, South Carolina. The company is spending about $1 billion on the project. Work is underway at its Columbia fuel site. The factory will start work in 2030. It is the first new US nuclear fuel factory of this scale in more than 50 years.
The factory will make a stronger fuel called Low Enriched Uranium Plus. Its uranium enrichment level is between 5% and 8%. This gives reactors more energy from their fuel. They can run longer before stopping to get new fuel. This also lowers their running costs. The project supports a US plan to get more electricity from existing reactors. The factory will supply fuel for current reactors and Westinghouse AP1000 reactors around the world.
Westinghouse also tested its small eVinci reactor in September. Engineers studied how its center behaved in very high heat. At 1,225 degrees Fahrenheit, the nuclear reaction kept going on its own. The team also took a measurement at 1,852 degrees. Engineers use these results to check their computer models. They can then improve their software.
