New Fuel Cycle Facility Licensing and Construction
The staff of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is tracking the license applications that were submitted and approved. Although several fuel cycle facilities possess approved licenses, the corporations are not currently pursuing construction due to business reasons. See the following pages for more information.
Current Status of Fuel Cycle Licensing Activities
| Organization |
Location |
Type of Facility |
Name of Facility |
Status |
| Centrus Energy Corp. |
Piketon, Ohio |
Centrifuge enrichment |
American Centrifuge Plant |
Application submitted to the NRC in August 2004. NRC license issued in April 2007. The facility will largely be housed in buildings constructed by DOE in the 1980s for its gas centrifuge project. No significant post-licensing construction of the American Centrifuge Plant has taken place.
The Lead Cascade, a test loop for the facility, met its objectives and was decommissioned in 2018 after operating for about 10 years.
In June 2021, the NRC approved a license amendment authorizing Centrus to demonstrate commercial production of High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU) at the American Centrifuge Plant. Centrus has halted the installation of the HALEU demonstration centrifuges in cascade form until the DOE completes a solicitation to competitively award the contract to complete the HALEU demonstration program and produce HALEU.
|
| AREVA Enrichment Services |
Bonneville County, Idaho |
Centrifuge enrichment |
Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility |
Application submitted to the NRC in December 2008. License issued in October 2011. License was terminated on August 29, 2018. |
| Global Laser Enrichment, LLC |
Wilmington, North Carolina |
Laser enrichment |
GLE Uranium Enrichment Facility |
NRC issued a license amendment in May 2008 for a test loop. A full scale facility was licensed in September 2012. License was terminated on January 5, 2021. |
| CB&I AREVA MOX Services |
Aiken, South Carolina |
Mixed-oxide fuel fabrication |
Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility |
Application for construction authorization submitted in April 2001. Construction authorization issued by the NRC in March 2005. Application for operating license submitted in November 2006. The Safety Evaluation Report was issued in December 2010. Based on a request from MOX Services the CA was terminated on February 8, 2019. |
| International Isotopes Fluorine Products, Inc. (IIFP) |
Lea County, New Mexico |
Fluorine extraction and depleted uranium deconversion |
Fluorine Extraction Process and Depleted Uranium Deconversion (FEP/DUP) Plant |
NRC issued IIFP a 40 year license on 10/02/2012. The date for commencement of construction is yet to be determined. Construction of the facility is not currently proceeding. |
See Fuel Cycle Facilities Licensing for an overview of the licensing process for fuel cycle facilities.
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Wednesday, April 20, 2022