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USEC said the application was submitted on 29 August 2008 to the Department of Energy (DOE). The first part was submitted on 24 July 2008. USEC said it is “actively seeking a prompt review of the application and a commitment from DOE”.
The DOE invited nuclear energy projects to submit loan guarantee applications in June 2008. The DOE had set a deadline of 29 September 2008, for part one applications and 2 December 2008 for part two applications for front-end nuclear fuel cycle facilities.
A total of 38.5 billion US dollars (USD) (about 27 billion euro) worth of loan guarantees can be issued by the DOE until the end of financial year 2009, with USD 2 billion allocated for advanced "front-end" nuclear fuel cycle facilities.
Earlier this month, USEC reaffirmed a USD 3.5 billion project budget for the American Centrifuge Plant, excluding financing costs and financial assurance, following a review of the schedule and overall costs.
USEC has been testing and manufacturing individual machine components at the then Centrifuge Technology Center and K-1600 facilities in Oak Ridge since 2005. The company began its centrifuge programme in Oak Ridge in 2001.
Strategic suppliers have begun manufacturing parts for up to 50 AC100 machines that will be installed in the lead cascade at Piketon, which is expected to be operational by the end of the first quarter of 2009.
– by John Shepherd
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
USEC To Seek Loan Guarantee For American Centrifuge Project (News in Brief No. 45, 15 April 2008)
USEC Confirms Budget For American Centrifuge Plant (News in Brief No. 87, 6 August 2008)
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