Staff Reports
RW Monitor
7/25/2014
GE-Hitachi Global Laser Enrichment LLC (GLE) announced late this week plans to suspend most work on its Silex-based laser enrichment technology as a result of adverse market conditions. In this week’s release, Silex said that GLE now plans to consolidate efforts on the technology development activities to its Wilmington facility in North Carolina and most contractor-based work on the project will be suspended, with the project facility near Oak Ridge, Tennessee to be placed in a safe storage mode, and GLE-funded activities at the laser development facility in Australia to cease. “Although Silex monitors the broader uranium market conditions, GLE’s announcement was unexpected. GLE has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to date, and subject to satisfactory economics, market conditions and regulatory requirements, continues to fund the program towards potential commercialization,” Silex said in the release.
In September 2012, the Nuclear Regulatory Comission issued a license to GLE for construction and operation of a proposed enrichment plant in North Carolina that would use Silex laser enrichment technology. The proliferation potential of the separation of isotopes by laser excitation technology proposed by GE-Hitachi has been a subject of concern for nonproliferation advocates, who say the technology is well suited for highly enriched uranium production for nuclear weapons. Late last year, DOE announced it would enter into negotiations with GLE for a portion of the Department’s stockpile of depleted uranium tails, with GLE having planned to build a new facility at the Paducah site to re-enrich them.
This week’s release goes on to say, “Silex remains optimistic about the medium term prospects for the technology and has been advised that GLE continues to negotiate with the U.S. Department of Energy on the opportunity for enrichment of depleted tails inventories in Paducah, Kentucky.” Officials at the DOE Office of Environmental Management were unavailable for comment late this week.
