The Orano China controversy is intensifying as federal officials weigh a $900 million Department of Energy contract tied to a company with documented links to Chinese state-run nuclear firms. Orano Federal Services, based in North Carolina, is bidding for the funding even as its French parent company works closely with entities the Pentagon classifies as Chinese military companies.
Orano Group maintains uranium supply and technology partnerships with China General Nuclear Power Corporation and contracts with China National Nuclear Corporation. The company itself boasts that “Orano is supporting durably the development of the Chinese nuclear industry.” Critics warn those ties clash with Congress’s intent to rebuild a secure, domestic nuclear fuel supply.
“Department of Energy grants should not be used to develop Communist China’s nuclear industry,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said. “Companies tied to the Chinese military should never see a cent of American taxpayer dollars.” Cotton’s committee recently concluded that U.S. funding can provide backdoor access “to the very foreign adversary nation whose aggression these capabilities are necessary to protect against.”
A former senior U.S. official cautioned that even U.S.-based projects could free capital for Beijing-linked ventures. “Now this administration has the opportunity to avoid sending U.S. taxpayer dollars to a foreign government-owned enterprise,” the official said, calling it “a national security issue.”
Industry voices echoed that concern. Paul Saunders warned, “In the situation that we’re in today with the U.S.-China relationship, I think many people would have questions about providing taxpayer funds to a firm involved in [the] Chinese nuclear fuel cycle.”
Orano denies wrongdoing. Spokesman Curtis Roberts said, “Our agreements with China specifically involve their commercial nuclear energy market and do not support any military activities.”
The stakes are high. Nuclear power supplies about 19 percent of U.S. electricity, while 20 percent of uranium imports come from Russia. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, “The Trump administration is all in on a nuclear renaissance,” underscoring why the Orano China debate now sits at the center of America’s energy and security strategy.
