USEC names president of American Centrifuge Manufacturing

USEC Inc. and The Babcock and Wilcox Co. on Thursday named Craig S. Hansen as president of American Centrifuge Manufacturing LLC.

In this position, Hansen will be responsible for management and operations of the American Centrifuge Technology and Manufacturing Center in Oak Ridge.

USEC and B&W created American Centrifuge Manufacturing LLC, a joint company, in 2011 to provide integrated manufacturing and assembly of uranium enrichment centrifuge machines for the American Centrifuge Plant.

He most recently served as vice president of nuclear equipment at Babcock and Wilcox Nuclear Energy Inc., where he led B&W’s global commercial nuclear manufacturing business. He also served as the first chairman of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee, which was established to advise the Secretary of Commerce on expanding U.S. civil nuclear export opportunities.

“Craig is a recognized leader in the nuclear manufacturing industry, and we expect him to make an already world-class operation even stronger,” said Paul Sullivan, USEC’s vice president for American Centrifuge and chief engineer. “His skill and expertise will be integral to our success.”

“I am excited and proud to join the excellent team assembled at American Centrifuge Manufacturing,” Hansen said. “The American Centrifuge is a robust and innovative technology that is critical to the success of the United States’ nuclear energy future.”

The American Centrifuge is USEC’s next-generation technology to enrich uranium to fuel nuclear power plants around the world, a press release said.

“It is based on proven, energy-efficient U.S. technology originally developed by the Department of Energy and significantly improved by USEC using updated materials and manufacturing methods,” the release said. “USEC is working to deploy the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, and is in the final months of a research, development, and demonstration program to confirm the technical readiness of the American Centrifuge. If USEC moves forward with deployment of the commercial plant, ACM will manufacture and deliver more than 11,500 centrifuges to the Ohio facility.”