The U.S. ⁠Energy Department said on Monday it was awarding orders totaling $2.7 billion to three firms to ​bolster domestic uranium enrichment over ‍the next 10 years in a broader effort to reduce U.S. dependence on Russian supply.

American Centrifuge Operating, General Matter, and Orano Federal Services secured the orders, the department said in a statement.

The contracts would require the companies to meet specific milestones to provide enrichment services for low-enriched uranium and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), for existing nuclear power plants and new, smaller modular reactors.

"Today’s awards show that this Administration is committed to restoring a secure domestic nuclear fuel supply chain capable of producing the nuclear fuels needed to power the reactors of today and the advanced reactors of ⁠tomorrow," Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said.

Russia is currently the only country that makes HALEU – uranium enriched to between 5% and 20%, which is said to make new high-tech reactors more efficient – in commercial volumes. Funds to make the fuel domestically in the U.S. were included in a law to ban uranium shipments from Russia fully by 2028.

The department awarded American Centrifuge Operating, a subsidiary of Centrus Energy, and General Matter, backed by tech billionaire Peter Thiel, with $900 million each to develop domestic ​HALEU enrichment capacity. It awarded Orano Federal Services with $900 million to ‍expand domestic low-enrichment uranium production.

The Energy Department separately awarded an additional $28 million to Global Laser Enrichment, part-owned by ‍Canadian uranium ​company Cameco, ‍to further its work to build next-generation uranium ⁠enrichment technology for the nuclear fuel ‍cycle.

Global Laser Enrichment had sought a $900 million award.

HALEU's critics say it is a weapons risk if it gets into the wrong hands and recommend limiting enrichment to between 10% and 12% for safety. ⁠Uranium fuel ‌used in today's reactors is enriched to about 5%.