Op update, page-9

Moosey - as I see it the clean U238 (as UF₆) would either be used as a breeder blanket on a fast reactor or for down blending HEU to produce HALEU - do you see any other applications (apart from ones like weighting aircraft & artillery shells)?

On the assumption that the "clean" U238 is for the above purposes then since (as far as I am aware) the US does not have any fast reactors (and would probably need many years to build one) I really can't envisage (unless you can produce other evidence) and short/medium term requirement for the "clean" U238 as a fast breeder blanket and even if it was to happen then the Pu239 created would need to be separated (which we have agreed the US does not do) and then used in a MOX plant which has recently been canned.

Therefore the only application for "clean" U238 would be for down blending HEU to HALEU. As I understand it "clean" natural (as UF₆) is just as good as "clean" U238 - the U238 is cheaper than natural uranium but you use less natural uranium in down blending. Frankly I can't see a significant market or requirement for "clean" U238 for down blending when natural uranium is also plentiful (and currently cheap); maybe you can enlighten me on why you consider that "clean" U238 has any significant merit (apart from "clean" U238 currently being almost "waste") - as I understand it the "clean up" plan is that all low assay UF6 is to retained by DoE who intend converting this to U3O8 and safely disposing of it as "waste" (which can be recovered at a later date if necessary should it have some value in the future).

I understand that after GLE have processed the high assay tails it is separated into natural uranium (which GLE will sell or further enrich) and low assay tails which will be disposd of in the same way as the low assay tails (which are not worth GLE processing). As i understand it the DoE have about 700mT of "tails" at Paducah, Oak Ridge and Piketon - 300mT "high assay tails" are offered to GLE (over 40 years) who will extract 100Mt of natural uranium and hand the balance of 200Mt back to DoE for disposal (along with the original 400Mt). So DoE will need to convert 600mT of UF6 to U3O8 and GLE will sell on 100mT of natural uranium (or enrich it further). Please can you explain where the DoE is going to do anything other than dispose of (over a period) the low assay UF6 as converted U3O8 which the DoE may be able to recover at a date far into the future. I find it difficult to see where the DoE assign much in the way of value to these low assay tails and intends to dispose of them in a safe manner as U3O8..