GLE begins TRL-6 demonstration enrichment

“Following an extensive shakedown and preliminary testing period, our team has implemented several engineering and operational modifications in the test loop facility to enhance overall performance,” said Stephen Long, GLE chief executive officer. “We are now focused on iteratively testing and optimizing enrichment, undertaking any further modifications that may be needed, and accumulating data from the enrichment tests to satisfy the requirements for TRL-6 validation.”

GLE expects to generate hundreds of kilograms of enriched uranium during the TRL-6 demonstration period.

Laser enrichment: Jointly owned by Silex and Cameco, GLE was formed in 2007 to develop and commercialize laser-based uranium enrichment technology capability in the United States using technology developed by Silex in Australia.

GLE was one of six companies from which the Department of Energy announced in December 2024 that it would source low-enriched uranium. The company is currently focused on establishing its Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF) in Kentucky to produce natural-grade uranium hexafluoride.

At the PLEF, GLE plans to enrich over 200,000 metric tons of depleted tails that GLE acquired from the DOE in 2016 to the natural uranium equivalent of about 0.7 percent U-235. Last year, GLE acquired a 665-acre parcel of land adjacent to the DOE’s former Paducah gaseous diffusion plant for the PLEF. The facility is currently undergoing Nuclear Regulatory Commission license review.

He said it: “GLE’s exclusive access to the Department of Energy’s high-assay depleted uranium tails creates the potential for a domestic, single-site solution for new uranium, conversion, and enrichment production at the planned Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility,” said James Dobchuk, GLE president and chief commercial officer, adding that successful deployment of its enrichment facility will create a more diverse fuel supply free from geopolitical and transportation risks.

GLE said its commercialization efforts are backed by over $550 million in engineering, design, manufacturing, and licensing investments, primarily in North Carolina and Kentucky.