NRC Board Set to Examine Commercial Laser-Enrichment Plant Proposal

NRC Board Set to Examine Commercial Laser-Enrichment Plant Proposal

A controversial proposal to establish a commercial laser-enrichment facility in North Carolina will be heard at a final hearing next week by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, Nature magazine reported (see GSN, May 24).
Atomic energy giant GE-Hitachi is promoting its laser-enrichment technology as a less costly and less energy-intensive process for enriching uranium to fuel atomic energy reactors.
The NRC board is expected in September to decide whether to issue a permit for the country's first laser-enrichment plant in Wilmington, N.C. Projections are that approval will be granted, according to the scientific magazine.