A planned USD 1.5bn HALEU and LEU enrichment plant by start-up General Matter on 100 acres leased from DOE at the former Paducah gaseous diffusion site. It holds a USD 900m DOE HALEU enrichment task order (January 2026) and submitted its NRC construction licence application on 28 September 2026; its enrichment technology remains undisclosed.
New to HALEU and enrichment? HALEU, explained: the fuel advanced reactors need · The U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain, explained
Current state
| Status | Licensing |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, Kentucky |
| Operator | General Matter Inc. |
| Ownership | Privately held US start-up (CEO Scott Nolan). |
| Facility type | HALEU production |
| Products | LEU, HALEU |
| License | NRC docket 70-7040: licence application submitted 28 Sep 2026 with a request for expedited review; NRC deemed preconstruction site preparation acceptable earlier in 2026. |
| Government support | USD 900m DOE HALEU enrichment task order (Jan 5, 2026; 10-year, milestone-based); DOE lease (Aug 2025) including at least 7,600 cylinders of UF6 for re-enrichment; also selected for DOE's Nuclear Energy Launch Pad program (2026). |
Notes
Capacity and technology are not public (technology redacted as trade secret in the environmental report). Schedule conflict: DOE/WNN (Aug 2025) said construction from 2026 and operations in 2034; ANS (Oct 2026) says the company seeks production by 2030. The application covers two production halls and LEU plus HALEU from depleted, natural and enriched UF6. General Matter's subsidiary also proposed (June 2025) an enrichment facility at Camp Williams, Utah (WISE/Salt Lake Tribune); not tracked separately.
Timeline
- 2024-12-06 — General Matter sent the NRC a letter of intent for licensing HALEU production. (source)
- 2025-08-05 — General Matter signed a DOE lease for 100 acres at the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant for a proposed USD 1.5bn enrichment plant. (source)
- 2026-01-05 — DOE awarded General Matter a USD 900m task order to create domestic HALEU enrichment capacity. (source)
- 2026-09-28 — General Matter announced it had submitted its NRC licence application for the Paducah enrichment facility. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
NNN coverage
About General Matter
- General Matter walks NRC through Paducah enrichment license filing 2026-10-11
- NNSA funding for BWXT's DUECE enrichment pilot plant hits $266.7M 2026-10-11
- The U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain, explained 2026-09-29
- HALEU, explained: the fuel advanced reactors need 2026-08-27
- NRIC picks 13 projects for Nuclear Energy Launch Pad's second round 2026-08-26
- Nuclear Energy Launch Pad, explained: DOE's private-build fast track 2026-08-26
Related facilities
- BWXT DUECE Pilot Plant (Erwin) Planned · United States
- Centrus American Centrifuge Plant (Piketon HALEU cascade and expansion) Expanding · United States
- DOE HALEU Availability Program and HALEU allocations Program active · United States
- DOE HALEU Deconversion Services contracts Program active · United States
- DOE LEU and HALEU Enrichment Acquisition Program (task orders) Program active · United States
- Global Laser Enrichment Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF) Licensing · United States
- Idaho National Laboratory EBR-II fuel HALEU recovery Program active · United States
- LIS Technologies laser enrichment plant (Oak Ridge) Planned · United States
See all 29 facilities in the Uranium Enrichment & HALEU Tracker →
Sources
- General Matter plans new enrichment plant in Paducah — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- U.S. Department of Energy Awards $2.7 Billion to Restore American Uranium Enrichment — US Department of Energy (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- General Matter's NRC license application materials publicly available — American Nuclear Society, checked 2026-10-11
- New Uranium Conversion/Enrichment and Nuclear Fuel Plant Projects - USA — WISE Uranium Project, checked 2026-10-11