Global Laser Enrichment has submitted its full license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for its Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility in Paducah, Ky., the company said last week.
The Wilmington, N.C. based company that licenses laser enrichment technology owned by Australia’s Silex Systems recently filed in its safety analysis report to complete its full license application. The company previously filed in its environmental report for the application in December 2024.
The safety analysis provides a detailed evaluation of the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility safety measures, operational protocols and risk mitigation tactics, in compliance with NRC’s regulatory standards.
GLE is jointly owned by Silex and Cameco.
The Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility would re-enrich depleted uranium tails from legacy Department of Energy (DOE) gaseous diffusion plant operations to provide a new source of domestic uranium, conversion and enrichment production, according to GLE’s July 2 press release.
Last year GLE acquired 665 acres near DOE’s former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant for construction of its planned laser enrichment facility.
While GLE did not disclose the cost of the construction for the facility, the company estimates to employ around 1,000 temporary construction workers and 300 permanent employees for the Paducah facility, according to a GLE spokesperson.
The planned Paducah facility remains on track to begin re-enriching DOE’s Paducah inventory of depleted uranium tails by 2030, GLE said.
GLE’s Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility licensing efforts builds upon its 2012 NRC license for a commercial-scale laser enrichment facility in Wilmington, N.C., which was abandoned due to poor market conditions at the time, GLE said.
The company said it expects an expedited licensing timeline for the Paducah facility given the NRC’s prior approval and its well-characterized site.
GLE has continued its uranium enrichment efforts as the company began its uranium demonstration in May at its Test Loop Facility in Wilmington It expects to generate hundreds of kilograms of enriched uranium during the demonstration.
