# 2026-16372: NRC opens door to new Tennessee uranium enrichment mega-plant

2026-16372, Orano Enrichment USA LLC; (Project Ike Enrichment Facility); Notice of Receipt of Application for License; Notice of Consideration of Issuance of License; Notice of Hearing and Commission Order; Opportunity To Request a Contested Hearing; and Order Imposing Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information and Safeguards Information for Contention Preparation, is a Federal Register notice from Nuclear Regulatory Commission published 2026-08-12, effective 2026-08-12; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-19).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16372
- As of: 2026-08-19
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-16372
- Title: Orano Enrichment USA LLC; (Project Ike Enrichment Facility); Notice of Receipt of Application for License; Notice of Consideration of Issuance of License; Notice of Hearing and Commission Order; Opportunity To Request a Contested Hearing; and Order Imposing Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information and Safeguards Information for Contention Preparation
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Citation: 91 FR 52088
- Published: 2026-08-12
- Effective: 2026-08-12
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-08-19

## In one line

NRC opens door to new Tennessee uranium enrichment mega-plant

## Summary

Orano Enrichment USA wants to build and run a uranium enrichment plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reviewing their license application and inviting the public to request a hearing if they have concerns. This project could change how uranium is processed locally and involves important safety and security steps before moving forward.

## Effects PRIA read

- Orano license would allow uranium enrichment: mixed, high. Orano applied for a license to build and operate the Project IKE Enrichment Facility in Roane County (Oak Ridge), Tennessee, to re-enrich depleted uranium hexafluoride (UF6) tails and to enrich natural-grade UF6 up to a maximum of 8-weight percent uranium-235.
- 60-day window to request a contested hearing: benefit, low. Any person whose interest may be affected has 60 days from this notice's publication (August 12, 2026) to file a request for a hearing and petition to intervene under the NRC rules; petitions filed after 60 days will not be considered except for good cause under 10 CFR 2.309(c)(1)(i)-(iii).
- Licensing Board timing: 140 and 315 day deadlines: benefit, low. The Licensing Board must issue a contention-admissibility decision no later than 140 days from this Federal Register notice and the Commission expects a final Licensing Board decision within 315 days from the publication date (August 12, 2026).
- Access rules and $403 fee for SGI background checks: cost, medium. Potential parties who need access to Safeguards Information (SGI) or Sensitive Unclassified Non‑Safeguards Information (SUNSI) must request access (SUNSI/SGI requests for contention preparation must be made within 10 days of this notice), and SGI access requires completion of Form SF-85, Form FD-25…
- Financial qualifications: 30% equity and funding requirements: cost, high. The NRC's guidance notes that, consistent with prior precedent, an applicant may be required before construction to provide a minimum equity contribution of 30% of project costs from parents/affiliates, firm funding commitments for remaining project costs, and long‑term contracts with prices suffic…
- Depleted UF6 tails to be treated as waste unless use shown: cost, medium. The Commission states that depleted uranium hexafluoride (depleted tails) will be considered waste in environmental documents unless Orano demonstrates a use for the material; disposition approaches consistent with the USEC Privatization Act, including transfer to DOE for disposal, are identified a…

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## Sources
- [2026-16372 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/12/2026-16372/orano-enrichment-usa-llc-project-ike-enrichment-facility-notice-of-receipt-of-application-for)
- [2026-16372 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-12/pdf/2026-16372.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-16371, Request for Information (RFI) on Modernizing the National Vulnerability Databas…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16371)
- [Next: 2026-16377, Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16377)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16372 (as of 2026-08-19).