From the US NRC...

From the US NRC website.

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part040/part040-0031.html

"§ 40.31 Application for specific licenses.

(f) An application for a license to possess and use source material for uranium milling, production of uranium hexafluoride, or for the conduct of any other activity which the Commission has determined pursuant to subpart A of part 51 of this chapter will significantly affect the quality of the environment shall be filed at least 9 months prior to commencement of construction of the plant or facility in which the activity will be conducted and shall be accompanied by any Environmental Report required pursuant to subpart A of part 51 of this chapter."

Seeing as how PEN applied 12 months ago they can commence plant construction at any time now. It would be prudent to assume that PEN would wait till it gets the Permit To Mine, which is due in the next couple of months, before plant construction would commence. If you succeed in getting a Permit to Mine then it seems from the NRC license guidelines that a SML is merely a formality.I would guess that we will see plant construction beginning sometime April/May for mining to commence end 2012.Eventhough the NRC timeline for Lance licensing extends to somewhere mid 2013 there is no reason why the SML could not be obtained sometime in 2012 and mining to commence.