Uranium is center stage in Erwin now that the federal government has awarded a $428 million contract to Nuclear Fuel Services (NFS) for the Erwin company to purify and convert uranium to a more potent form – a first for NFS and a process that has required it to seek a new type of permit. BWX Technologies (BWXT) spokesperson Laura Bailey reported in a press release from the U.S. Department of Energy announcing the contract with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).