In a move that could keep the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant operating beyond May, the Board of Directors for both the Tennessee Valley Authority and Energy Northwest are set to consider an agreement for uranium enrichment services this Thursday. Plant operator USEC has said that without sufficient demand it will shut the plant down when its current power contract with TVA expires on May 31. The company has been hoping for a federal program to re-enrich a portion of the Department of Energy’s uranium hexafluoride tails, and in recent weeks DOE and USEC have been in discussions with TVA and the Bonneville Power Administration on purchasing the output from such a program.
At TVA’s Thursday meeting, the Board is scheduled to consider “participation in a potential multi-party agreement concerning uranium and uranium enrichment,” TVA spokesman Mike Bradley said in a written response. But at this point details on the potential agreement are sparse. Bradley added, “Because this proposal is preliminary and negotiations among the involved parties are on-going, it would be inappropriate to discuss any additional information at this time.” Energy Northwest spokeswoman Rochelle Olson confirmed that the utility will also consider the agreement at its Board meeting Thursday, but also declined to provide details.