NRC announces accelerated review of Oak Ridge enrichment facility
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it intends to complete its review of Orano Enrichment’s license application to build and operate a new uranium enrichment facility near Oak Ridge, Tenn., in 12 months. Orano submitted its application for the multibillion-dollar facility, named Project Ike, in March.
According to the NRC, the accelerated timeline reflects the agency’s broader push to modernize its licensing processes under Executive Order 14300, “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.” EO 14300 directs the NRC to make significant reforms and, as the agency put it, “cut red tape and enable nuclear energy deployment in America.”
A typical NRC licensing review takes 18–20 months, depending on issues raised during the review process.
The project: Supported by a $900 million Department of Energy award to expand domestic low-enriched uranium capacity, Project Ike is part of a national effort to rebuild America’s nuclear fuel supply chain amid growing concerns over reliance on foreign enrichment services. The project, expected to cost $5 billion, is further supported by the state of Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Fund.
Orano’s 750,000-square-foot facility is to be located on a 624-acre parcel of unused former Manhattan Project land recently transferred from the DOE to the City of Oak Ridge’s Industrial Development Board.
According to Orano’s application, the Project Ike facility will be capable of producing about 7.4 million separative work units (SWU) per year. Using gas centrifuge enrichment, the company intends to enrich natural uranium hexafluoride to a product containing up to 10 percent uranium-235.
The review: The NRC said its evaluation of Orano’s application will include a detailed safety and security assessment and environmental review to ensure the proposed facility meets NRC requirements for protecting public health and the environment.
The agency added that its 12-month review schedule assumes “high-quality and timely inputs” from Orano.
Orano said its NRC license application incorporates the company’s many years of experience operating enrichment centrifuges at its Georges Besse II facility in France. Orano is also leveraging its construction experience with the ongoing 30 percent expansion in capacity underway at Georges Besse II, the company added.
“For 15 years Orano has used ETC centrifuges in France to reliably enrich and supply uranium for powering American reactors. Now, we are planning to generate that same secure nuclear fuel supply using the same proven technology and processes at our Project Ike facility,” said Jean-Luc Palayer, CEO of Orano USA.
Other quotes: “This milestone represents the accomplishment of more than a year of dedicated work by the Project Ike team,” said Lionel Antognelli, project director for Project Ike. “It has been made possible through strong engagement with the NRC from the very beginning, supported by constant communication and monthly pre-application meetings that helped establish an efficient and collaborative licensing process.”
“NRC is safely enabling America’s efforts to reduce U.S. dependency on foreign enrichment,” said NRC Chairman Ho K. Nieh. “Credible, predictable and timely safety reviews—this is how NRC supports American leadership in nuclear energy.”
