Wilmington, N.C.-based Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) received nearly $100 million in funding from the state of Kentucky and McCracken County for GLE’s proposed Paducah, Ky.-based enrichment facility.
The performance-based incentive package will provide up to $98.9 million in tax and other financial incentives should GLE reach agreed investment and job creation goals, the company said in its March 26 press release. The comprehensive incentive package is expected to be the single largest capital investment in western Kentucky history, GLE said.
“GLE greatly appreciates McCracken County and the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s enthusiasm and support for nuclear energy and the creation of new U.S. domestic nuclear fuel sources,” GLE CEO Stephen Long said. “The incentive package reflects a shared vision for economic development, technological leadership, and the establishment of a resilient domestic nuclear fuel supply chain.”
McCracken County is where the Department of Energy Paducah Site is located. GLE has lined up 690 acres next to the DOE site where it intends to build the new enrichment facility.
GLE submitted a full license application for the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in July 2025. The company’s proposed Paducah facility licensing efforts built 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 planned Paducah facility remains on track to begin re-enriching DOE’s Paducah inventory of depleted uranium tails by 2030, GLE said.
“I’m excited to see this incredible new investment from GLE and the 240 great job opportunities it is creating for families in Paducah and the surrounding region,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said. “Our economy continues to set records, and today’s announcement is the single largest investment announcement we have on record for Western Kentucky.”
GLE, the exclusive licensee of laser enrichment technology owned by Australia’s Silex Systems, was also among recipients of a $10 million grant from the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority’s Nuclear Energy Development Grant Program.