# NRC accepts Orano's Project IKE application and aims to decide by April 2027

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/stories/nrc-accepts-orano-s-project-ike-application-and-aims-to-decide-by-april-c3b3776e
Date: 21 May 2026
About: [Orano](https://technooptimist.io/companies/orano.md) · [Project IKE](https://technooptimist.io/energy/project-ike.md)
Original source: https://fissilematerials.org/blog/2026/05/nrc_accepted_oranos_licen.html

The NRC accepted Orano Enrichment USA's licence application for Project IKE and committed to an accelerated review, aiming to finish in April 2027. The application describes a 7,400 tSWU-a-year plant able to enrich to 10% U-235, using the ETC centrifuges Orano runs in France; the NRC said the review can move faster because the design resembles the Eagle Rock plant it licensed earlier.

## Key facts

- Licensed capacity sought: 7,400 tSWU/yr (7.4 million SWU), up to 10% U-235.
- Review target: April 2027, about 12 months.
- Eagle Rock, Areva's Idaho plant, was suspended in 2011 and its licence ended in 2018.

---

The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt).
Data API (JSON, realtime stream): https://technooptimist.io/developers. People read 5 pages free, then Reader $10/month; these Markdown pages are open to agents.