WILMINGTON, DE, UNITED STATES, March 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Aternium, a producer and developer of heavy water and clean hydrogen, announced it has selected Kiewit Engineering Group Inc. (“Kiewit”) to perform the pre-FEED for its initial heavy water/hydrogen production facility, the first of a multi-plant project.
Aternium’s multi plant initiative encompasses approximately $1 billion in safe, high efficiency heavy water/hydrogen infrastructure, launching in the Mid Atlantic region. “We are pleased to partner with Kiewit, whose deep expertise in energy development and unwavering commitment to safety and operational excellence closely align with our values,” said Andrew Cottone, Founder and CEO of Aternium. “This project will deliver high purity, clean hydrogen to the Mid Atlantic while addressing a critical materials challenge for the United States by producing heavy water (a/k/a deuterium), which is critical to many U.S. industries but currently is only produced outside the U.S. in countries like China and Iran. At the same time, this project will catalyze workforce development and generate transformative economic opportunities for local communities. Kiewit joins a strong group of development partners and will play a key role in executing our differentiated business model, enabling us to supply clean hydrogen and heavy water at a highly competitive cost.”
“We’re pleased to have been selected by Aternium to help deliver this important new project,” said Tyler Nordquist, executive vice president, Kiewit Engineering Group Inc. “Our extensive engineering, procurement and construction experience in the energy market will provide significant value and operational expertise during this important pre-FEED phase. We’re excited to get started.”
Aternium’s model combines clean hydrogen production with heavy water/deuterium isolation. Deuterium is an essential fuel for nuclear fusion and a vital component in semiconductor fabrication, microchips, fiber-optic cables, OLED displays, and pharmaceuticals. The parallel production of clean hydrogen with Aternium’s patent-pending isolation of heavy water not only allows for a lower cost of hydrogen, but simultaneously addresses a critical materials vulnerability for the USA.
About Aternium™
Aternium, Inc. is a Delaware-based company developing large-scale production of clean hydrogen and heavy water. The company is committed to fueling the industrial transition to sustainable energy by producing clean hydrogen safely, continuously, and affordably while solving a U.S. supply chain vulnerability by also producing heavy water. Aternium combines deep scientific expertise in chemical manufacturing with advanced digital technology to provide the only source of heavy water produced in the U.S. while making clean hydrogen a reliable, cost-effective energy solution today. Learn more at Aternium.com.
The Philadelphia Business Journal ranked Aternium as one of the top ten startups to watch for 2026.
About Kiewit
Kiewit is one of North America’s largest and most respected construction and engineering organizations. With its roots dating back to 1884, the employee-owned organization operates through a network of subsidiaries in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Guam. Kiewit offers construction and engineering services in a variety of markets including power; transportation; water; oil, gas and chemical; marine; building; industrial and mining. Kiewit had 2024 revenues of $16.8 billion and employs 31,800 staff and craft employees.
Dora Cheatham
Aternium, Inc.
+1 302-233-8034
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