WILMINGTON, N.C., April 30 (UPI) -- A subsidiary of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy has selected Wilmington, N.C., as the site of a proposed uranium enrichment plant for the nuclear fuel industry.
Global Laser Enrichment announced Wednesday that the plant would be built at the GE Hitachi, or GEH, headquarters complex in Wilmington and would be operational in 2012.
A decision on whether to go through with the project will be made as early as the start of next year.
"This is a key milestone in GLE's development process," GLE President and Chief Executive Officer Tammy Orr said in a written statement. "We can now move forward with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's licensing process."
The proposed plant is a third-generation enrichment facility that uses laser isotope separation. It could potentially become a supplier of low-enriched uranium to GNF-A, a Wilmington plant that fabricates the fuel bundles used in commercial nuclear power plants.
GLE said the proposed enrichment plant would take up about 200 acres and added, "No new types of hazardous materials will be added to the GEH plant site."
