Solstice Advanced Materials (Morris Plains, N.J.) announced that its Metropolis Works, Ill., facility is projected to produce over 10,000 metric tons (10 kt) of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) in 2026, which represents about a 20% increase from its planned output in 2024.
The company has invested in debottlenecking projects at Metropolis Works following its 2023 restart in response to strong customer demand for UF6, a critical component in the nuclear fuel supply chain. Metropolis Works is the only UF6 conversion facility in the United States. The company’s expansion efforts are underpinned by its backlog of over $2 billion driven by orders from long-term customers, many of which are domestic utility companies, as well as the United States’ policy goal of quadrupling American nuclear energy capacity by 2050.
Backed in part by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Solstice is actively exploring additional projects to increase production at its Metropolis Works facility. Solstice has also retained a leading engineering, procurement and construction firm to conduct an initial engineering analysis for new capacity expansion investments and, at the same time, has initiated long-term supply discussions with customers.
“Solstice has stepped up production of UF6, a critical component in the nuclear fuel supply chain, with the support of disciplined capital investments and improved operational excellence at our Metropolis Works facility,” said David Sewell, Solstice President and CEO. “Leveraging our 60-plus years of operational excellence, industry leadership and proprietary expertise, we are exceedingly well-positioned to ensure our capacity to produce converted uranium is aligned with the industry and its rapid expansion.”
Solstice’s Metropolis Works facility converts uranium ore concentrate from global mines into UF₆ using Solstice’s proprietary process, which is recognized for its efficiency and reliability. After Solstice’s conversion process, UF₆ is enriched and fabricated by other service providers into nuclear fuel that powers reactors generating nearly 20% of U.S. electricity and representing the largest single source of carbon-free energy in the country, according to the World Nuclear Association.
ConverDyn, a partnership between Solstice and General Atomics, serves as the exclusive marketing agent for all UF₆ produced at the Metropolis Works facility, which holds a license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission that is valid until 2060.