GLE submits full application for laser enrichment facility licence

Wednesday, 2 July 2025

GLE is seeking a licence for the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF) to 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.

In August last year, the NRC approved GLE's request to separate the submittal of the Environmental Report (ER) and the Safety Analysis Report request. GLE said the early submission of the ER was expected to "facilitate a more efficient and timely licensing review process".

GLE submitted the ER to the NRC in late December. The ER highlights the significant benefits of the project, including accelerating environmental cleanup efforts at the former Paducah gaseous diffusion plant through depleted uranium tails re-enrichment under a 2016 agreement between GLE and the Department of Energy, supporting carbon emissions reduction by providing a new domestic source of uranium, conversion, and enriched uranium to existing and new nuclear reactors, job creation for West Kentucky, and energy security.

GLE has now submitted the Safety Analysis Report, which provides a comprehensive evaluation of the facility's safety measures, operational protocols, and risk mitigation strategies, ensuring compliance with the NRC's stringent regulatory standards for nuclear safety and security.

"This achievement reflects the significant commitment, dedication, and ingenuity of our remarkably talented team, who worked to prepare and deliver a high-quality application in a very short timeframe, six months ahead of schedule," said GLE CEO Stephen Long. "GLE's unique capabilities position the PLEF as a potential single-site solution for US-based uranium, conversion, and enrichment production."

GLE Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Manager Timothy Knowles added: "We appreciate the extensive pre-application engagement with NRC staff, which helped inform our submission. We remain committed to working closely with the NRC to ensure a thorough, efficient, and expeditious review."

The PLEF licensing effort builds upon GLE's 2012 NRC-approved licence for a commercial-scale laser enrichment facility in Wilmington, North Carolina, which did not proceed due to poor market conditions at the time.

GLE said it anticipates an accelerated licensing timeline for the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility given the NRC's prior approval and GLE's well-characterised site. In November 2024, GLE acquired 665 acres (2.7 square kilometres) adjacent to the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant for construction of the planned PLEF.

The company said it remains on track to begin re-enriching the DOE's Paducah inventory of depleted uranium tails no later than 2030.

GLE, a joint venture of Australian company Silex Systems (51%) and Cameco Corporation (49%), is the exclusive global licensee of the SILEX laser-based uranium enrichment technology, which would be deployed commercially at Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility. The project is underpinned by a long-term agreement signed in 2016 for the sale to GLE of some 200,000 tonnes from the US Department of Energy's inventory depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF6) for re-enrichment to equivalent natural grade uranium hexafluoride. The DOE has a large inventory of the material - also known as tails - from the former operations of its first-generation gaseous diffusion enrichment plants.

"GLE's submittal of its Safety Analysis Report represents a major milestone in the commercialisation of the SILEX technology, which will culminate in the establishment of the planned PLEF," said Silex Systems CEO and Managing Director Michael Goldsworthy. "We commend the GLE team for their excellent efforts in the submission of the full licence application ahead of the original schedule, and look forward to an expeditious review by the NRC."