NNSA failed to report $140B uranium enrichment costs to Congress

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) failed to report required cost and schedule estimates for its long-term uranium enrichment plans to Congress.

The NNSA’s preliminary estimates suggest that enriching uranium for national security purposes will cost approximately $36.8 billion through 2052, rising to roughly $140 billion in inflation-adjusted dollars by 2105. These costs cover the design and construction of facilities, centrifuge requirements, decades of operations, and eventual decommissioning.

The GAO noted that the NNSA’s August 2024 management plan omitted these figures, which are legally required to help lawmakers evaluate production options. While the NNSA has since provided these preliminary estimates to the GAO, they have not yet been included in the official reports to Congress. Current uranium inventories are expected to meet national security needs only until the early 2040s.