NRC: News Release - 2009-136 - NRC Accepts GE-Hitachi Application for Uranium Enrichment Facility in North Carolina


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No. 09-136

August 17, 2009

NRC ACCEPTS GE-HITACHI APPLICATION FOR
URANIUM ENRICHMENT FACILITY IN NORTH CAROLINA
Printable Version

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted for formal review an application by General Electric-Hitachi Global Laser Enrichment for a license to construct and operate a uranium enrichment plant using laser technology in Wilmington, N.C.

GE-Hitachi submitted the application in two stages: an environmental report, submitted on Jan. 30, and a safety report, tendered on June 26. The NRC staff has completed an initial acceptance review and determined that the application is sufficiently complete for the agency to begin its formal licensing reviews. The agency has already requested additional information from the applicant, and additional requests are possible throughout the licensing review. Acceptance of the application for review does not indicate whether the Commission will issue a license.

NRC’s licensing review will proceed on two tracks: an environmental impact statement, which will be published in draft for public comment, and the technical safety review. The agency anticipates these reviews and adjudicatory hearings will take approximately 30 months. In the coming weeks, a notice of opportunity to request a hearing before the NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will be published in the Federal Register.

The GE-Hitachi application, minus certain classified and sensitive portions (e.g., proprietary information), is available on the NRC’s Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/laser.html. The NRC’s acceptance letter and request for additional information are available in the agency’s ADAMS online documents database at this address, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html, by searching for accession number ML091960561.

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