ML25202A201
| ML25202A201 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Global Laser Enrichment File:Global Laser Enrichment icon.png |
| Issue date: | 08/04/2025 |
| From: | Lav S NRC/NMSS/DFM/FFLB |
| To: | Tim Knowles Global Laser Enrichment |
| References | |
| EPID L-2024-NEW-0004 | |
| Download: ML25202A201 (1) | |
Text
Timothy Knowles Manager, Licensing, and Regulatory Affairs Global Laser Enrichment, LLC 4110 US Hwy 421, Suite 100 Wilmington, NC 28401
SUBJECT:
ACCEPTANCE OF GLOBAL LASER ENRICHMENT, LLC PADUCAH LASER ENRICHMENT FACILITY LICENSE APPLICATION (ENTERPRISE PROJECT IDENTIFICATION NUMBER L2024NEW0004)
Dear Timothy Knowles:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff has received the Global Laser Enrichment, LLC (GLE) license application to possess and use special nuclear material at the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility (PLEF). The latest version of the environmental report was submitted by letter dated June 13, 2025 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System [ADAMS] Accession No. ML25164A077). The environmental report (ER) was submitted in advance of the safety and safeguards analysis report (SAR), pursuant to the exemption approved by the NRC on August 19, 2024 (ML24184B970). The SAR was submitted via letter dated June 27, 2025 (ML25179A000) and a revised affidavit for withholding information under Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 2.390 was submitted via letter dated July 14, 2025 (ML25195A093). These submittals provide the license application to construct and operate the PLEF located in McCracken County, Kentucky, approximately 5 miles west of Paducah, Kentucky.
GLE also submitted a request for exemption to the requirements in 10 CFR 70.22(m) to submit the Standard Practices and Procedure Plan (SPPP), Program Cyber Security Plan (PCSP) and Classified Matter Transportation Security Plan (CMTSP) no later than 8 months after submitting the PLEF license application. The exemption request was approved by the NRC on July 23, 2025 (ML25182A184). The exemption granted GLE until March 1, 2026, to submit the complete SPPP, PCSP, and CMTSP. The exemption approval letter states:
Failure to submit a full description of the Standard Practices and Procedure Plan, Program Cyber Security Plan, and Classified Matter Transportation Security Plan in compliance with 10 CFR 70.22(m) by this date may result in the NRC [staff] extending the overall schedule of the license application review and may also result in the NRC staff denying the license application.
The NRC staff has completed our acceptance review of your submittals and determined that the application provides sufficient information to proceed with a detailed technical review. We have established an 18-month review schedule to be completed by January 31, 2027. The NRC staff identified several observations regarding updates and clarifications to the license application August 4, 2025
T. Knowles 2
that will be provided in a separate letter. These observations are for your awareness, which GLE may wish to resolve voluntarily to reduce future requests for additional information (RAIs).
The review schedule includes time for one round of formal RAIs per technical area and the expectation that GLE will provide high quality, complete, and timely responses to the RAIs. The schedule also assumes GLE will schedule clarification calls and audits promptly, and any additional supporting non-docketed information are provided timely. In addition, the schedule presumes that the full SPPP, PCSP, and CMTSP descriptions will be submitted no later than March 1, 2026. Failure to submit the full description of the plans by that date may impact the NRC staffs review, as indicated in the exemption described above.
The table below provides key milestones for the license application review schedule.
Review Milestones Estimated Completion Acceptance August 2025 Public Scoping Period and Comment September 2025 Draft RAIs and Draft Safety and Safeguards Evaluation Report (SER) provided to the NRC Project Manager December 2025 Issue Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Public Comment and Conduct Public Meeting February 2026 RAIs to Applicant1 January - March 2026 RAIs Responses and Supplements1 February - April 2026 Horizontal and Vertical Slice April 2026 Draft Final SER provided to the NRC Project Manager1 May-September 2026 Final EIS Issue Federal Register Notice, Prepare Record of Decision September 2026 Final SER Package in Concurrence1 September - December 2026 Issuance of Final SER2 January 2027 The NRC staff estimates that completing the review of your submittal will require approximately 8,500 staff-hours for the review of the SAR and 1,800 staff-hours and $800,000 contract costs for the ER, which corresponds to about $4,065,100 ($317/hour + contract costs). This resource estimate is approximately 40 percent fewer resources than the historical average for new enrichment facilities. We will promptly communicate significant schedule and cost changes, if any.
In accordance with 10 CFR Part 2, Agency Rules of Practice and Procedure, a copy of this letter will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) or from the Publicly Available Records component of the NRCs ADAMS. ADAMS is accessible from the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
1 Some review milestone completion dates are listed as a range because the review steps for the different technical review areas will be conducted in parallel with staggered due dates for each area as part of the larger review milestone (e.g., completion of draft RAIs and SER, issuance of RAIs, completion of the draft final SER, concurrence on the draft final SER).
2 A mandatory hearing will be conducted upon completion of the NRC staff license application review and a final licensing decision will be made following the hearing.
T. Knowles 3
The PDR is open by appointment. To make an appointment to visit the PDR, please send an email to PDR.Resource@nrc.gov or call 1800-3974209 or 301415-4737, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastern time (ET), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
If you have any questions regarding this communication, please contact me at 301415-3487 or via email at samantha.lav@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Samantha Lav, Chief Fuel Facility Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 07007033 Signed by Lav, Samantha on 08/04/25
ML25202A201 OFFICE NMSS/DFM/FFLB NMSS/DFM/FFLB NMSS/REFS/EPMB2 NMSS/DFM/FFLB NAME MBartlett JGoodridge RSun SLav DATE 7/30/2025 7/30/2025 8/4/2025 8/4/2025