A planned commercial laser (SILEX) enrichment plant next to the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, designed initially to re-enrich DOE's depleted uranium tails into natural-grade UF6 and to enrich up to 8% U-235. The NRC has been reviewing the licence application since August 2025, with the safety evaluation due January 2027; Cameco agreed in September 2026 to buy all of the plant's future output.
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 | McCracken County (near Paducah), Kentucky |
| Operator | Global Laser Enrichment, LLC |
| Ownership | Joint venture of Silex Systems (51%) and Cameco (49%). |
| Facility type | Enrichment plant |
| Technology | Laser |
| Products | LEU, LEU+ |
| Target year | 2030 |
| License | NRC docket 70-7033: application submitted June 2025, docketed 4 Aug 2025; EIS targeted Sept 2026 and SER Jan 2027; mandatory hearing (CLI-26-3); hearing petition filed by Kentucky Resources Council 5 May 2026. GLE expects a licence in early 2027. |
| Government support | DOE agreement (2016) for access to Paducah depleted-uranium tails; ~USD 28m (up to USD 28.5m) DOE award Jan 2026 for next-generation enrichment technology; Kentucky/McCracken County incentive package of up to ~USD 99m (Mar 2026). |
| Offtake | Exclusive offtake agreement (Sept 2026): Cameco to purchase 100% of PLEF production, natural UF6 through enriched products. |
Notes
No SWU capacity published for PLEF (a 2013 estimate cited by WNA was 0.5-1.0 million SWU/yr; not used). Planned output from tails: up to 2,000 t UF6/yr (~5 million lb U) for 30+ years per GLE (WNN, Jan 2026); ~70,000 t of new feed over plant life from >200,000 t of tails. Project cost reported at USD 1.76bn (LPM). ANS (Oct 2026) says GLE has opted not to produce HALEU for now, though GLE says it intends to serve LEU, LEU+ and HALEU markets. 2030 is GLE's operating target, not confirmed by NRC.
Timeline
- 2025-06-27 — GLE submitted the safety and safeguards analysis report completing its NRC licence application for PLEF. (source)
- 2025-08-04 — The NRC accepted the PLEF licence application for docketing and review. (source)
- 2026-01-05 — DOE awarded GLE about USD 28m to advance next-generation enrichment technology. (source)
- 2026-03-06 — The NRC published a notice of opportunity to request a hearing on the PLEF application. (source)
- 2026-05-05 — The Kentucky Resources Council petitioned for a hearing, challenging DOE's authority to transfer depleted uranium feedstock. (source)
- 2026-09-16 — GLE and Cameco signed an exclusive agreement for Cameco to buy all of PLEF's future production. (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 Global Laser Enrichment
- General Matter walks NRC through Paducah enrichment license filing 2026-10-11
- The U.S. nuclear fuel supply chain, explained 2026-09-29
- The 6 nuclear stories that mattered this week 2026-09-19
- Cameco signs exclusive offtake for all Paducah laser-enrichment output 2026-09-14
- HALEU, explained: the fuel advanced reactors need 2026-08-27
- DOE nuclear funding, explained: every program paying for the buildout 2026-08-05
Related facilities
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- CNNC Emeishan uranium enrichment plant (Plant 814) Expanding · China
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- DOE HALEU Availability Program and HALEU allocations Program active · United States
See all 29 facilities in the Uranium Enrichment & HALEU Tracker →
Sources
- Federal Register: Global Laser Enrichment, LLC; Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (Mar 6, 2026) — US Federal Register / NRC (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Global Laser Enrichment facility page — US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Kentucky environmental group petitions for federal hearing on GLE's nuclear license request — Louisville Public Media, checked 2026-10-11
- Cameco in offtake agreement for US laser enrichment plant — 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