METROPOLIS, Ill. (AP) – The industrial conglomerate Honeywell has announced plans to reopen its uranium conversion facility in southern Illinois. The multinational company headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina announced Tuesday it plans to restart the production of uranium hexafluoride in Metropolis in 2023. Honeywell says it will hire 160 full-time employees and contractors by the end of next year. The plant was idled in 2018 due to a collapse in demand for uranium hexafluoride, a component of fuel used in commercial nuclear power reactors. Mayor William McDaniel says he feels the city of Metropolis got a shot in the arm with Honeywell’s announcement.
