16 Feb (NucNet): The estimated cost of the American Centrifuge Plant project has been increased to 2.3 billion US dollars (USD) (about 1.7 billion euros) in a review of the project announced by USEC on 12 February 2007.
The original estimated cost of the project was USD 1.7 billion. USEC has also revised the project’s schedule to reflect delays in starting lead cascade operations for additional testing and demonstration of individual machines.
The company said it is now working towards starting commercial plant operations at Piketon, Ohio, in late 2009 and having approximately 11,500 machines deployed in 2012, which would provide about 3.8 million separative work units (SWU) capacity.
President and chief executive John Welch said: “A year from now, as we begin to finalise manufacturing contracts, we should have more data that will improve our ability to more accurately estimate the ultimate cost of the commercial uranium enrichment plant.”
USEC said it had spent USD 371 million on the project as of December 2006. The company said its revision of costs was partly due to increased costs of key materials. However, an expected increase in plant capacity through improved centrifuge performance could help offset some cost increases.
A licensing decision for the commercial American Centrifuge Plant is expected in April 2007, one month earlier than scheduled. The licence application covers an initial annual production capacity of 3.5 million SWU. It also includes authorisation to enrich uranium to an assay level of up to 10%. Construction of the plant is expected to begin after the licence is issued.
A detailed USEC statement is available on the company’s web site (www.usec.com).
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
Centrifuge Demonstration Costs Increase By 80 Percent (World Nuclear Review No. 146, 4 November 2005)
Licensing Schedule For American Centrifuge Plant Brought Forward (World Nuclear Review No. 5, 2 February 2007)
