Goodbye Megatons To Megawatts

In a recent article, PennEnergy reported on the impending end of the Megatons to Megawatts program that is slated to conclude in the coming months. Despite the program winding down, United States Enrichment Corporation has inked a deal with Tenex to continue supplying low-enriched uranium until 2022.

According to PennEnergy:

Under the agreement, the United States formed the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC), a government-owned corporation (privatized in 1998), and the Russian Federation designated Techsnabexport (Tenex) to implement the program. The terms of the agreement required that Russian highly enriched uranium be diluted or downblended to become low-enriched uranium in Russia and then shipped to the United States.

PennEnergy also stated that:

Although the Megatons to Megawatts program will expire this December, USEC Inc. signed a 10-year contract with Tenex in March 2011 to supply commercial-origin Russian low-enriched uranium to replace some of the material provided by the Megatons to Megawatts program. Deliveries under this contract begin in 2013 and are slated to continue through 2022. The contract also includes an option to double the amount of material purchased.