Following a large-scale demonstration completed in September, Global Laser Enrichment said last week an independent third-party has confirmed its uranium enrichment system has reached level 6 of technology readiness.
“In plain language, this independent validation means that GLE has demonstrated large-scale, integrated system performance under relevant operational conditions and that our schedule for initial commercial deployment is achievable,” GLE CEO Stephen Long said in an Oct. 22 press release. “We are proud to be the first company to meet this significant milestone for a third-generation enrichment technology.”
Wilmington, N.C.-based uranium technology company GLE is the sole licensee of the laser enrichment technology, SILEX. The company began its large-scale demonstration for the laser technology in May.
While the demonstration has been completed, GLE previously said it will continue its demonstration program through the end of 2025, producing hundreds of kilograms of low-enriched uranium. Through the program, the company hopes to help build a domestic manufacturing base and supply chain to support U.S. enrichment capacity.
Now that GLE achieved technology readiness level 6 with the SILEX, Long said it will now turn its attention to its deployment of the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility in Paducah, Ky.
“The PLEF [Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility] would be built from an entirely-U.S. supply chain, maintaining control of this vital new technology in the U.S. and is expected to create first-rate advanced manufacturing jobs not just in Paducah, but around the country,” Long said.
GLE filed a license application for the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in July and the agency accepted the application for review in August.