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Honeywell Set To Reopen Metropolis Facility

Matt Markgraf
/
WKMS

The United States’s only uranium conversion facility will reopen, according to a release from Honeywell.

Honeywell idled production at its Metropolis facility in 2017 due to a decline in global demand for nuclear fuel. Spokesman Mike Hockey said the process will begin this year to bring the plant back online, with an anticipated full reopening in 2023. 

“As the only domestic uranium conversion facility, Honeywell’s Metropolis Works facility has been an important national strategic asset, well-positioned to satisfy UF6 demand both in the U.S. and abroad. Honeywell is planning to restart production at Metropolis Works in early 2023, with preparations beginning this year. Honeywell will hire 160 full-time employees as well as contractors by the end of next year. We’re proud to bring these jobs back to the Metropolis community to meet the needs of our customers,” said Hockey in the release.

State Senator Dale Fowler represents Metropolis in the Illinois General Assembly. He said the development will help boost the economy in southern Illinois.

“I know that when the facility originally shut down, we lost dozens of well-paying jobs and the community was hit hard,” said Fowler. “Now, after experiencing yet another major hit to our economy and workforce due to the COVID-19 crisis, it’s extremely encouraging that the facility is reopening and bringing much-need job opportunities back to the area.”

The Metropolis facility converts uranium ore into UF6 for domestic and international use. 

 

Dalton York is a Morning Edition host and reporter for WKYU in Bowling Green. He is a graduate of Murray State University, where he majored in History with a minor in Nonprofit Leadership Studies. While attending Murray State, he worked as a student reporter at WKMS. A native of Marshall County, he is a proud product of his tight-knit community.
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