General Matter applies for NRC license to build Paducah enrichment plant
The facility would produce LEU and HALEU, supporting a $900 million DOE HALEU contract signed in January 2026.
Key facts
- License application filed September 28; materials, including an environmental report, posted in NRC's ADAMS repository October 5
- Lease with DOE covers 100 acres at the former Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant site, signed August 2025
- Seeks expedited review; NRC licensing rule revisions proposed in July are not yet approved
- Neighbor GLE applied in July 2025 and received a $28.5 million task order in January 2026
- Both companies aim to begin enriched uranium production by 2030
General Matter applied to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to begin facility construction at the Paducah, Ky., site of the former Gaseous Diffusion Plant, the company announced on September 28. Supporting documents, including an environmental report, became public on October 5 in the NRC's ADAMS repository. Approval would allow work beyond the pre-construction site preparation the NRC deemed acceptable early in 2026.
General Matter leased 100 acres at the site from the Department of Energy in August 2025. The environmental report says the General Matter Paducah Enrichment Facility, or GMPEF, would have two production halls, A and B, plus buildings for administrative and service activities. It would produce LEU and HALEU from depleted, natural and enriched uranium hexafluoride, including 7,600 cylinders of depleted UF6 covered by the lease. That would let the company fulfill a January 2026 DOE HALEU contract worth $900 million and pursue a DOE LEU supply contract announced in December 2024.
The enrichment technology is redacted as a trade secret. The report notes three technologies exist — gaseous diffusion, gas centrifuge and laser enrichment — though gaseous diffusion has not been employed worldwide since 2013. Politico reported the company would disclose basic details "in the coming months."
Review request cites 2028 Russian import ban
The cover letter seeks an expedited review, citing earlier assessments of the Paducah site and elements of the GMPEF design and proprietary processes. The environmental report says Russia supplied approximately 20 percent of U.S. enrichment requirements until recently, and that a complete ban on Russian imports, including enriched uranium, takes effect in 2028. Revisions to NRC licensing regulations proposed in July would facilitate an expedited review; they had not been approved as of October 6.
GLE opted against HALEU for now
Global Laser Enrichment, General Matter's neighbor at Paducah, applied for a license for its Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility in July 2025 and received a $28.5 million task order in January to build LEU enrichment facilities. It plans to use SILEX, separation of isotopes by laser excitation, on depleted uranium tails left from Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant operations, and has opted not to produce HALEU for now. Its public application materials are heavily redacted. Both companies seek to begin enriched uranium production by 2030.
General Matter's application incorporates parts of the environmental report and environmental impact statement prepared for GLE's application, calling GLE's proposed facility a comparable reference given the proximity and similar use of the two sites.
