Russia sets nuclear enrichment record with next-gen centrifuge

Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom, through its fuel division TVEL, has developed a new tenth-generation gas centrifuge, the HZ-10, which sets a record in uranium enrichment efficiency and productivity. This advanced centrifuge surpasses all previous generations used at Rosatom’s facilities and is entering a pilot industrial testing phase before full-scale production. The HZ-10 is expected to significantly enhance the performance of Russia’s uranium enrichment plants, which currently hold over one-third of the global market share. While detailed technical specifications remain undisclosed, the development continues Rosatom’s long-term modernization program aimed at replacing older centrifuge models with more efficient machines like the GC-9+ and now the GC-10. Gas centrifuge technology enriches uranium by spinning uranium hexafluoride gas at high speeds to separate the lighter uranium-235 isotope from the heavier uranium-238. This process increases the uranium-235 concentration from its natural level of 0.7% to the 3.5