Westinghouse Electric Company is spending roughly $1 billion to build a new nuclear fuel manufacturing plant in South Carolina. The project is underway at the existing Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility in Hopkins, with operations scheduled to start in 2030. It represents the first fleet-scale nuclear fuel plant built in the United States in more than 50 years.
The site will mass-produce a specialized grade of fuel known as Low Enriched Uranium Plus, or LEU+. Standard commercial fuel operates below these levels, but LEU+ increases uranium enrichment to between 5% and 8%.
This higher concentration changes the economics of running a commercial reactor. Because the core carries more energy, power plants can stretch the intervals between mandatory refueling shutdowns. Longer operating runs lower day-to-day costs for operators while providing steady baseload electricity to the grid.
To support the operating fleet
“The Columbia LEU+ Fuel factory is our largest single manufacturing investment to support the operating fleet and marks a transformative milestone for our company and the industry,” said Dan Sumner, President and Chief Executive Officer of Westinghouse.
“By scaling our LEU+ Fuel manufacturing capabilities, we reinforce our commitment to support our customers in producing more nuclear power while creating new opportunities in South Carolina.”
The manufacturing push supports the United States’ UPRISE initiative. Under that program, utilities aim to raise the total electrical output of existing reactors through what the industry calls plant uprates. The higher-energy LEU+ fuel will provide the thermal margin needed to expand power generation across the country without building new reactor vessels.
The Columbia plant will also supply finished fuel for current commercial fleets and provide assemblies for Westinghouse AP1000 reactors worldwide. While the broader Columbia facility has operated since 1968 producing pellets, rods, and complete assemblies, mass production of LEU+ marks a technical shift.
The fuel was first loaded commercially in an American reactor in 2025, and this new factory is designed to transition the technology from single-plant deployment into wide commercial use.
Advanced microreactor testing
Alongside this manufacturing project, Westinghouse has also advanced testing on its eVinci microreactor platform. During high-temperature runs conducted in September, engineers collected new empirical data to evaluate core behavior under extreme heat.
The eVinci core achieved nuclear criticality at 1,225°F. In reactor physics, criticality is the threshold where a nuclear fission chain reaction becomes entirely self-sustaining. Testing at this equilibrium allows engineers to observe exactly how reactor physics and core conditions interact. As the test progressed, the team recorded a subcritical reactivity measurement at a peak core temperature of 1,852°F.
Engineers use the physical measurements collected during core heating to test the accuracy of their mathematical reactor models. Spotting where physical results diverge from computer models allows technical teams to correct their simulation software before committing to final prototype hardware.
Taken together, the two developments lead to a notable path. The new plant in South Carolina will expand fuel output and operational endurance for large commercial power reactors, while the eVinci trials provide experimental data to refine software for high-temperature microreactor systems.