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Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Facility Licensing
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AREVA Gas Centrifuge Facility
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Fact Sheet on Uranium Enrichment

AREVA Enrichment Services, LLC Gas Centrifuge Facility

On December 30, 2008, AREVA Enrichment Services, LLC (a subsidiary of AREVA NC, Inc.), submitted an application  to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), seeking a license to construct and operate a gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facility in the United States. Specifically, AREVA has selected a site in Bonneville County, Idaho, for its new facility, which will be known as the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility. For detail, contact us or see the following topics on this page:

On this page:

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Regulation and Legislation

In 1990, Congress passed the Solar, Wind, Waste, and Geothermal Power Production Incentives Act. Among other things, that legislation amended the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to require licensing of uranium enrichment facilities under NRC regulations in Title 10, Parts 40 and 70, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 40 and 10 CFR Part 70). The Act also stated that the construction and operation of a uranium enrichment facility is considered a major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment for the purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Therefore, an environmental impact statement (EIS) needs to be prepared for this type of facility, and an adjudicatory hearing must be completed before issuing a license for its construction and operation. In addition, the Act requires the applicant to obtain public liability insurance for the facility, and requires the NRC to inspect the facility before operations begin to ensure that the plant is constructed to meet the license requirements.

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License Application

AREVA submitted its license application and environmental report for the Eagle Rock gas centrifuge enrichment facility on December 30, 2008. The facility which is to be located in Bonneville County, Idaho, is proposed to process 3 million separative work units annually.

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Safety Evaluation Report

Having received the AREVA license application, the NRC staff will review the application against applicable regulations and guidance, and then prepare a safety evaluation report to document the review findings.

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Environmental Review

As required by NEPA, the NRC develops an environmental impact statement (EIS) for "major Federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment." Licensing a uranium enrichment facility is considered a "major Federal action" and, therefore, requires an EIS. For more information about NEPA and the environmental review process, see Frequently Asked Questions About NRC's Role under the National Environmental Policy Act.

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Correspondence and Other Information

Some links on this page are to documents in our our Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS). For additional information, see our Plugins, Viewers, and Other Tools.

Date Description
03/12/2009 License Application for Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility-Acknowledgement of Receipt

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Public Involvement

Meeting Schedule

For upcoming meetings, see our Public Meeting Schedule. Information for the meetings on this page are available at this Web site or in ADAMS if an accession number is given.

Meeting Archive

The following table lists, in chronological order, the public meetings that the NRC staff has conducted in regard to the application and licensing processes for the AREVA Eagle Rock gas centrifuge enrichment facility.

Meetings and Other Interactions Between AREVA and NRC
Meeting Date Subject
12/10/2008 Meeting Summary:  Public Outreach Meeting on the Licensing Process
12/09/2008 Meeting Summary: AREVA NC Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility-Meetings With Local Officials in Idaho
11/09/2007 Meeting Summary: AREVA NC, Inc. Environmental Review Issues
05/21/2007 Meeting Summary: AREVA NC Pre-Application Discussion

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Related Information

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009