I think that there is more to Silex’s story than we are being told, probably because of secrecy obligations, but things are not what they seem IMHO!
First of all
Silex were involved in a license to allow them (GEH) to use Silex technology and they (GEH) got a license for Wilmington to enrich up to 8% there was talk of up to
10% ,that license was granted by the NRC, has that license ever been recinded? And it was for SNF which I believe come from UNF?
See
https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1224/ML12242A424.pdf SNM-1097 If you look at what SNM consists of Plutonium is one of the components and you only get that from one place, a reactor.
utilize a computer system independent of its Manufacturing Information and Control System to track the
SNM contained in fuel bundles and loose fuel rods received from the
Wurgassen plant in Germany
Might I suggest, that this is the same SNM that arrived from Germany way back then and has been enriched to 8% and in some circumstances possibly as much as 10% but at least 8% for GNF-A fuel manufacture and is the reason that the same SNM1097 license applies to the fuel manufacturing side!
I do recall a figure of 50,000K/G max
GLE was formed and several key GEH employers were given major roles, even after a deal by Silex and Cameco in what seemed very favourable terms was given by GEH to allow GLE to be taken over by Silex and Cameco, these key personel remained at GLE why? GEH now claim to be making fuel at 8% enriched uranium in it’s subsidiary GNF-A, 8% enriched is LEU+ or sometimes referred to as HALEU. So where is GEH getting it from and for how long?
GLE have applied to supply in a RFP (READY For Purchase) for LEU+ so it must be READY now, Paducah is not even on the drawing boards and even if it were it won’t be producing for over FOUR years, so where is the LEU+ coming from now? Any guesses?
Wilmington NC has many staff working for GLE on a
permanent basis, where will these people be working after the commercial plant is proved to be commercial and GLE walk away from Wilmington? And it seem as if Silex are also building a new plant at Wilmington to manufacture something No mention of GLE here, my guess is medical isotope enrichment which is NOT part of GLE as such! I think Terrapower Isotopes is involved here somehow, and those Isotopes come from special UNF.
Why was GLE headquarters built at Wilmington NC if Paducah is to be their first Plant?
There are many unexplained things happening at Wilmington NC, I don’t think the split Between GEH and GLE was as acrimonious as many here would have you believe? I happen to think that GEH is quite happy with the terms somehow and they are also getting more out of it than most people here are aware of.
Just my opinion!
(20min delay)