National Enrichment Facility
Encyclopedia
The National Enrichment Facility (NEF
) is a plant for the enrichment of uranium
. The plant uses a gas centrifuge
technology known as Zippe-type centrifuge
s. It is located 5 miles east of Eunice, New Mexico
. The NEF is operated by Louisiana Energy Services (LES) which is in turn owned by the Urenco Group
. As of 2011, LES operates as URENCO USA.
NEF employs a new type of license, the 10 CFR Part 2. It is a combination license granted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC) allowing the plant to proceed directly from construction to operation. First of its kind, this means NEF will be closely watched by many parties in the nuclear community.
The original proposed budget was USD 1.5 billion, but this increased to USD 3 billion for an enlarged facility capable of 5.9 million SWU at full capacity.
Since the Dedication Ceremony in October 2008, the company has grown to 236 employees with an annual payroll of USD 23 million. At full capacity, NEF can provide 50% of the current enriched uranium demand for civilian nuclear power plants in the U.S.. The NEF commenced operations in June of 2010.
Nef
-Historical:* Nef an extravagant table-ornament in the shape of a ship, from* a French name for a type of ship called a carrack in English* the French word for nave of a church-People:* Alain Nef , Swiss footballer...
) is a plant for the enrichment of uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
. The plant uses a gas centrifuge
Gas centrifuge
A gas centrifuge is a device that performs isotope separation of gases. A centrifuge relies on the principles of centripetal force accelerating molecules so that particles of different masses are physically separated in a gradient along the radius of a rotating container.A prominent use of gas...
technology known as Zippe-type centrifuge
Zippe-type centrifuge
The Zippe-type centrifuge is a device designed to collect Uranium-235. It was developed in the Soviet Union by a team of 60 Austrian and German scientists captured after World War II, working in detention...
s. It is located 5 miles east of Eunice, New Mexico
Eunice, New Mexico
Eunice is a city in Lea County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,562 at the 2000 census. The mayor of Eunice, as of April 2007, is Matt White. Ground was broken for construction of a National Enrichment Facility, which uses Zippe-type centrifuge technology, to enrich uranium in...
. The NEF is operated by Louisiana Energy Services (LES) which is in turn owned by the Urenco Group
Urenco Group
The URENCO Group is a nuclear fuel company operating several uranium enrichment plants in Germany, Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It supplies nuclear power stations in about 15 countries, and has a 25% share of the global market for enrichment services...
. As of 2011, LES operates as URENCO USA.
NEF employs a new type of license, the 10 CFR Part 2. It is a combination license granted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is an independent agency of the United States government that was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 from the United States Atomic Energy Commission, and was first opened January 19, 1975...
(NRC) allowing the plant to proceed directly from construction to operation. First of its kind, this means NEF will be closely watched by many parties in the nuclear community.
The original proposed budget was USD 1.5 billion, but this increased to USD 3 billion for an enlarged facility capable of 5.9 million SWU at full capacity.
Since the Dedication Ceremony in October 2008, the company has grown to 236 employees with an annual payroll of USD 23 million. At full capacity, NEF can provide 50% of the current enriched uranium demand for civilian nuclear power plants in the U.S.. The NEF commenced operations in June of 2010.
Timeline
- 23 June 2006: LES was granted license to commence building the facility.
- 29 August 2006: Groundbreaking ceremony takes place at the NEF site.
- 22 October 2008: Dedication ceremony
- 15 February 2009: First shipment of Uranium hexafluorideUranium hexafluorideUranium hexafluoride , referred to as "hex" in the nuclear industry, is a compound used in the uranium enrichment process that produces fuel for nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons. It forms solid grey crystals at standard temperature and pressure , is highly toxic, reacts violently with water...
for acceptance testing - 10 June 2010: Received authorization to bring UF6 feed stock on-site
- 13 June 2010: First shipment of UF6 feed material arrives on-site
- 25 June 2010: Enrichment of UF6 officially begins in Cascade #1