Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF) Part 70 licence to construct and operate (laser enrichment up to 8 wt% U-235)

Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF) Part 70 licence to construct and operate (laser enrichment up to 8 wt% U-235): NRC fuel-cycle licence review for Global Laser Enrichment, LLC — under review. Sourced dates and schedule.

Background: NRC reactor licensing process, explained · The ADVANCE Act, explained: what changed and where the NRC stands

Current state

Review time is measured in average months from the date the NRC docketed the application to the decision. The NRC's own reported durations may measure to the final safety evaluation instead.

Notes

NRC target decision: 2027-01-31 (final SER); Commission order: final Commission decision within 30 months of 2025-08-04 acceptance (month only). Phased submittal: initial environmental report letter dated Dec. 30, 2024 (ER dated Dec. 31, 2024) under an exemption (granted Aug. 19, 2024), revised ER June 13, 2025, SAR June 27, 2025. NRC fuel-cycle page gives the SAR date as "July 1, 2025" (conflicts with June 27, 2025 in the acceptance letter, FR and Q3 FY2026 report; June 27 used). Classified-matter plans (10 CFR 70.22(m)) deferred to March 1, 2026 by exemption. Section 193 AEA mandatory hearing; contested hearing requested (ASLB established May 2026; Kentucky Resources Council appeal pending Aug. 2026); on Aug. 26, 2026 the Commission removed the separate uncontested hearing and made the contested proceeding the required on-the-record hearing. FR 2026-04474 says staff "anticipates completing the SER in January 2027 and finalizing the EIS in September 2026". Entirely post-ADVANCE Act.

Timeline

• 2025-06-27 — Application received: “The SAR was submitted via letter dated June 27, 2025 (ML25179A000) ... The latest version of the environmental report was submitted by letter dated June 13, 2025” (source)
• 2025-08-04 — Accepted for review (docketed): “On August 4, 2025, the NRC staff informed GLE of its determination that ``the application provides sufficient information to proceed with a detailed technical review'' and formally accepted the application for review.” (source)

The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. See the NNN Data License Terms for reuse of the event history.

Also tracked

• Global Laser Enrichment Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF) in the Uranium Enrichment & HALEU Tracker Licensing

NNN coverage

Related reviews

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• TRISO-X Fuel Fabrication Facility (TX-1) Part 70 special nuclear material licence (Category II HALEU TRISO fuel) Issued · 38.9 mo
• Idaho State University SNM-1373 materials licence renewal (greater-than-critical-mass SNM for education/research) Issued · 11.5 mo
• Oregon State University SNM-2013 materials licence renewal (research on used RTR fuel rods) Issued · 12.5 mo
• Metropolis Works uranium conversion facility SUB-526 40-year source material licence renewal Issued · 34.7 mo
• Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility SNM-1107 40-year licence renewal Issued · 92.4 mo

See all 75 reviews in the NRC Licensing Review Tracker →

Sources

1. https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2520/ML25202A201.pdf
2. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/06/2026-04474/global-laser-enrichment-llc-paducah-laser-enrichment-facility-notice-of-receipt-of-application-for
3. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/28/2026-17590/global-laser-enrichment-llc-paducah-laser-enrichment-facility-commissioners-ho-k-nieh-chairman-david
4. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/09/05/2025-17007/global-laser-enrichment-llc-paducah-laser-enrichment-facility-notice-of-intent-to-conduct-scoping
5. https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML2619/ML26198A284.pdf
6. https://www.nrc.gov/facilities-safety/fuel-cycle-facilities/new-fuel-cycle-facility-licensing