Staff Report
The Associated Press
EUNICE, N.M. (AP) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized startup of a $3 billion uranium enrichment plant in southeastern New Mexico, the first major nuclear facility to be licensed in the United States in the past three decades.
The Associated Press
EUNICE, N.M. (AP) - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has authorized startup of a $3 billion uranium enrichment plant in southeastern New Mexico, the first major nuclear facility to be licensed in the United States in the past three decades.
NRC officials said in a news release Thursday they are satisfied the facility can begin operations.
The Louisiana Energy Services facility near Eunice, N.M., will use an enrichment process that employs centrifuges to separate uranium isotopes. The enriched uranium will supply fuel for nuclear power plants in the United States and overseas.
LES president and chief executive Gregory Smith calls the NRC approval "a turning point" for the nuclear industry in the United States.
