On December 30, 2008, AREVA Enrichment Services, LLC (AES 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, AES selected a site in Bonneville County, Idaho, for its new facility, which was intended to be known as the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility. In October 2011, NRC issued a license (SNM-2015) to AES to construct and operate the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility to be located near the city of Idaho Falls, ID. By letter dated July 25, 2016, as supplemented by information provided via electronic communication dated September 13, 2016; and submittals dated August 22, 2016 (1 and 2), August 23, 2016, and September 16, 2016; AREVA Inc. requested NRC consent to the indirect transfer of control of the SNM-2015 license, from AES to AREVA Nuclear Materials, LLC (ANM). The NRC approved the license transfer via Order Number EA-16-201, dated September 30, 2016. In January of 2018, ANM notified the NRC of the company’s re-branding from ANM to Orano USA, LLC (Orano). In May 2018, Orano requested termination of the SNM-2015 NRC license for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility which was never constructed. As requested by Orano, the NRC terminated the SNM-2015 license in August 2018.
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On this page:
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.
License Application
AES submitted its license application and environmental report for the Eagle Rock gas centrifuge enrichment facility on December 30, 2008. On April 24, 2009, AREVA resubmitted the application to request an enrichment capacity increase from 3.3 million separative work units (SWU) per year to 6.6 million SWU per year. The facility was to be located in Bonneville County, Idaho.
On July 23, 2009, the Commission issued an Order initiating the proceedings applicable to AREVA's application for a uranium enrichment plant. The Order offereds an opportunity for a hearing; a 30-month licensing review schedule; instructions for potential parties to the proceeding regarding access to documents that contained sensitive unclassified non-safeguards information and safeguards information; and addressed several policy issues applicable to uranium enrichment facility licensing.
On August 10, 2009, NRC sent to AREVA Enrichment Services a Request for Additional Information (RAI) on the environmental report. AREVA submitted its response to the RAI on September 9, 2009. In addition, on September 18, 2009, AREVA submitted its Unanticipated Discovery Plan in response to the RAI. And, on September 25, 2009, AREVA submitted its response to RAI-1 and RAI-3.
On August 26, 2009, an RAI on the license application was sent to AREVA Enrichment Services. Areva submitted its response to the RAI on September 28, 2009.
The licensing of the AREVA Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility was successfully completed within the 30-month time frame. The licensing review schedule demonstrated when agency actions were completed.
The following is a list of the revisions to the Safety Analysis Report and the Environmental Report:
| Safety Analysis Report |
Date |
| Revision 1 |
April 24, 2009 |
| Revision 2 |
April 30, 2010 |
| Revision 3 |
May 16, 2011 |
| Environmental Report |
Date |
| Revision 1 |
April 24, 2009 |
| Revision 2 |
April 30, 2010 |
| Revision 3 |
May 16, 2011 |
Safety Evaluation Report
In September 2010, the NRC staff completed its technical safety and security reviews of the AES license application. The results of the review are documented in the Safety Evaluation Report for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility in Bonneville County, Idaho, AREVA Enrichment Services LLC, (NUREG-1951).
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.
The NRC staff held a public meeting on the scope of the EIS for the proposed Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility (EREF) on June 6, 2009, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. The public was encouraged to provide comments and information for the NRC's scoping process. The Scoping Summary Report was issued on September 11, 2009.
In July 2010, the NRC staff issued its Draft EIS for the proposed Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility. Comments on this document from the public were requested; the public comment period ended on September 13, 2010. Also, public meetings to obtain comments were held on August 9 and August 12, 2010, in Boise and Idaho Falls, Idaho, respectively. The meetings' transcript and other information are available on the NRC's public website (see Public Involvement).
In February 2011, the NRC staff issued its Final EIS for the proposed Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility (NUREG-1945, Volume 1 and Volume 2). In the Final EIS, the staff analyzed the environmental impacts from the proposed facility and determined that the impacts would be mostly minor. In preparing the Final EIS, the staff addressed approximately 1,150 comments on the Draft EIS that were received from approximately 220 government officials and agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and members of the general public.
License
The Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) presided over the mandatory hearing concerning the staff's safety and environmental reviews. The ASLB made its decision authorizing the staff to issue a license for the AES Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility on October 7, 2011. The NRC staff issued a license (SNM-2015) to AES to construct and operate the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility on October 12, 2011.
On September 30, 2016, the NRC issued Order Number EA-16-201 approving AREVA's July 25, 2016, request for NRC consent to the indirect transfer of control of the SNM-2015 license, from AES to AREVA Nuclear Materials, LLC (ANM). In January of 2018, ANM notified the NRC of the company's re-branding from ANM to Orano USA, LLC (Orano). In May 2018, Orano requested termination of the SNM-2015 NRC license for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility which was never constructed. As requested by Orano, the NRC terminated the SNM-2015 license in August 2018.
Correspondence and Other Information
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| Date |
Description |
| 10/12/2011 |
License for the AREVA Enrichment Services Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility |
| 06/27/2011 |
Revision 5 of the Quality Assurance Program Description for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility |
| 05/16/2011 |
License Application Revision 3 and Quality Assurance Program Description Revision 5 |
| 04/07/2011 |
Surface Soil Sampling for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility |
| 03/01/2011 |
Response to Request for Additional Information for Revised Quality Assurance Program Description |
| 02/02/2011 |
Request for Additional Information for AREVA Enrichment Services Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility Revised Quality Assurance Program Description Incorporating the 10 CFR Part 21 Exemption |
| 01/31/2011 |
Liability Insurance Coverage for Construction |
| 07/28/2010 |
Approval of AREVA Enrichment Services’ Part 21 Exemption Request |
| 07/16/2010 |
Supplemental Response for NRC Request for Additional Information Number HFE-1 |
| 07/13/2010 |
Supplemental Response to Requests for Additional Information |
| 07/09/2010 |
Approval of Request to Withhold Information from Public Disclosure |
| 06/29/2010 |
Supplemental Information - Categorization of Load Cells as IROFS and Quality Assurance Requirements for Enhanced Administrative IROFS |
| 06/22/2010 |
Approval of Request to Withhold Information from Public Disclosure |
| 06/15/2010 |
Follow-Up Response to Quality Assurance Requirements for Fire Protection Items Relied on for Safety |
| 06/01/2010 |
Approval of Request to Withhold Information from Public Disclosure |
| 05/14/2010 |
Supplemental Sage Grouse Survey Report |
| 05/12/2010 |
Supplemental Response to Request for Additional Information |
| 04/30/2010 |
License Application Revision 2, including Quality Assurance Program Description Revision 3 |
| 04/21/2010 |
Environmental Report Supplement - Radiochemical Analysis for the EREF Site Groundwater; Revised Thorium Results |
| 04/08/2010 |
Quality Assurance Program Description |
| 03/30/2010 |
Notice of Organization Change for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility License Application |
| 03/25/2010 |
Quality Assurance Requirements for Fire Protection Items Relied on for Safety |
| 03/17/2010 |
Approval of Preconstruction Exemption Request |
| 03/10/2010 |
Physical Protection Guidance |
| 03/03/2010 |
Approval of Request to Withhold Information from Public Disclosure |
| 02/26/2010 |
Issuance of Order Imposing Requirements for Reviewing Official for Implementation of Safeguards Information Program |
| 02/19/2010 |
Treatment plan for Historic Site MW004 and Analysis of Obsidian Artifacts |
| 02/18/2010 |
Supplemental Information - Revised Appendix H, EREF 161-KV Transmission Line Project |
| 02/16/2010 |
Environmental Review Considerations and Schedule Impacts Associated with Changes to the Environmental Report for the Proposed AREVA Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility |
| 01/29/2010 |
Request for Exemption from 10 CFR 21.3, Definitions, for "Commercial Grade Item, Basic Component, Critical Characteristic, Dedication, and Dedicating Entity" |
| 01/29/2010 |
Supplemental Information - EREF 161-KV Transmission Line (Revised Response to Environmental Report RAI #4) |
| 01/20/2010 |
Request for Early Approval of the Physical Security Plan |
| 01/20/2010 |
Approval of Request to Withhold Information from Public Disclosure |
| 01/19/2010 |
License Application Change - EREF Transmission Lines |
| 01/12/2010 |
Request for Additional Information – Fundamental Nuclear Material Control Plan, Revision 1, Chapter 9, Unauthorized Enrichment Prevention Program |
| 01/07/2010 |
Re-categorizing Safe-by-Design Components |
| 12/04/2009 |
Supplemental Information- New Appendix H, EREF 161-KV Transmission Line Project |
| 11/23/2009 |
Supplemental Response – Preconstruction Activities Supplemental Information and Other Matters - Amount of Uranium in Liquid Waste Effluents, Treated Domestic Sanitary Wastewater Sampling; and Liquid Effluent Collection and Treatment System Evaporator Sediment Sampling. |
| 11/16/2009 |
Supplemental Response – Environmental Report RAI#2 Revised Response |
| 10/30/2009 |
Request for Expedited Approval of Quality Assurance Program Description |
| 10/25/2009 |
Approval of Request to Withhold Information from Public Disclosure |
| 10/15/2009 |
Response to Request for Additional Information on Exemption Request Related to Commencement of Construction |
| 09/28/2009 |
Response to Request for Additional Information on License Application for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility |
| 09/30/2009 |
Construction Inspection Requirements |
| 09/30/2009 |
Approval of Request to Withhold Information from Public Disclosure |
| 09/25/2009 |
Response to Request for Additional Information- Environmental Report for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility- RAI 1 and RAI 3 |
| 09/18/2009 |
Response to Request for Additional Information on Environmental Report for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility, Unanticipated Discovery Plan |
| 09/14/2009 |
Request for Additional Information for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility Exemption Request Related to Commencement of Construction |
| 09/09/2009 |
Response to Requests for Additional Information- AREVA Enrichment Services LLC Environmental Report for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility |
| 08/26/2009 |
Request for Additional Information – License Application for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility |
| 08/18/2009 |
Supplement to Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility License Application - Depth to Groundwater Measurements from the Monitoring Wells on the Site for the Proposed Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility. |
| 08/12/2009 |
Approval of Request to Withhold Information from Public Disclosure |
| 08/10/2009 |
Request for Additional Information- Environmental Report for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility |
| 07/31/2009 |
Supplement to Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility License Application – Groundwater Analytical Data - Winter and Spring 2009, Ecology Field Study Report - Winter and Spring 2009, and Combined Geotechnical Report, Revision 6 |
| 07/23/2009 |
Notice of Receipt of Application for License; Notice of Consideration of Issuance of License; Notice of Hearing and Commission Order; and Order Imposing Procedures for Access to Sensitive Unclassified Non-Safeguards Information and Safeguards Information for Contention Preparation |
| 07/07/2009 |
Response to Information Needs Identified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for the AREVA Enrichment Services Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility - Environmental Report |
| 06/22/2009 |
Additional Site Characterization Activities |
| 06/17/2009 |
Request for Exemption from 10 CFR 70.4, 10 CFR 70.23(a)(7), 10 CFR 30.4, 10 CFR 30.33(a)(5), 10 CFR 40.4, and 10 CFR 40.32(e) Requirements Governing “Commencement of Construction” |
| 06/15/2009 |
Notice of Organization Change for Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility License Application |
| 04/06/2009 |
Identification of Potential Impacts to the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility License Application to Reflect Expansion in Capacity |
| 03/31/2009 |
Notice of Intent to Submit Revision to Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility License Application to Expand Capacity |
| 03/12/2009 |
License Application for Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility-Acknowledgement of Receipt |
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 Enrichment Facility.
| Meetings and Other Interactions Between AREVA and NRC |
| Meeting Date |
Subject |
| 04/04/2011 |
Conference Call Clarification of Responses to Request for Additional Information Responses - Revised Quality Assurance Program Description
|
| 03/30/2011 |
Management Meeting: Discuss AREVA Enrichment Services’ Application for Gas Centrifuge Uranium Enrichment Facility Proposed for Bonneville County, Idaho
|
| 08/12/2010 |
Meeting Summary: Public Comment Meeting: Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed AREVA Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility in Idaho Falls, ID
|
| 08/09/2010 |
Meeting Summary: Public Comment Meeting: Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed AREVA Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility in Boise, ID
|
| 05/12/2010 |
Management Meeting: Discuss AREVA Enrichment Services’ Application for Gas Centrifuge Uranium Enrichment Facility Proposed for Bonneville County, Idaho
|
| 04/27/2010 |
Conference Call Clarification of Request for Exemption from 10 CFR 21.3 Definitions
|
| 03/29/2010 |
Conference Call Clarification of Responses to Request for Additional Information—Fundamental Nuclear Material Control Plan
|
| 03/08/2010 |
Conference Call to Discuss Responses to Request for Additional Information—Nuclear Criticality Safety
|
| 02/25/2010 |
Conference Call to Discuss Responses to Request for Additional Information—Nuclear Criticality Safety
|
|
12/22/2009
|
Conference Call to Discuss Safe-By-Design
|
|
11/23/2009
|
Conference Call to Discuss Response to Request for Additional Information-- Fire Protection
|
|
11/05/2009
|
Meeting: Department of Energy Presentation on Safeguards by Design for Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plants related to AREVA’s Application for a Gas Centrifuge Uranium Enrichment Facility
|
|
10/30/2009
|
Conference Call to Discuss Physical Security Plan
|
|
10/22/2009
|
Conference Call to Discuss Transmission Lines
|
|
10/02/2009
|
Management Meeting: Discuss AREVA Enrichment Services’ Application for Gas Centrifuge Uranium Enrichment Facility Proposed for Bonneville County, Idaho
|
|
09/24/2009
|
Conference Call to Discuss Environmental Review Request for Additional Information
|
| 08/24/2009 |
Conference Call to Discuss Environmental Report Request for Additional Information
|
| 08/20/2009 |
Conference Call to Discuss Draft Request for Additional Information – Management Measures
|
| 07/13-15/2009 |
Closed Meeting Notice: Meeting with AREVA Enrichment Services to Review and Discuss the Documentation Supporting the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility Integrated Safety Analysis
|
| 07/01/2009 |
Conference Call to Discuss Human Factors Engineering
|
| 06/19/2009 |
Conference Call to Discuss Environmental Review Information Needs-Socioeconomics and Waste Management
|
| 06/04/2009 |
Meeting Summary: Public Scoping Meeting: Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed AREVA Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility
|
| 05/28/2009 |
Conference Call to Discuss Environmental Review Information Needs-Transportation, Noise, Air Quality, and Water Use
|
| 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 |
Page Last Reviewed/Updated Wednesday, December 02, 2020