What projects are currently planned for depleted uranium deconversion in the United States?
Currently, the United States has one operating deconversion facility, which is regulated by the State of Tennessee under an Agreement State license in accordance with Title 10, Part 40, of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 40), “Domestic Licensing of Source Material.” At this facility in Jonesborough, Tennessee, Aerojet Ordnance Tennessee, Inc., fabricates uranium metal for the U.S. Army to use as antitank rounds. This fabrication involves deconverting depleted UF4 using a process that does not produce significant quantities of fluorine or hydrogen fluoride as reaction products. As directed by Congress, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is constructing two depleted uranium deconversion facilities next to the existing gaseous diffusion uranium enrichment plants (GDP) in Paducah, Kentucky, and the Portsmouth GDP (near in Piketon, Ohio). The plants are projected to be completed in mid-year 2010.2 Together, these plants will deconvert more than 700,000 metric tons (771,000 U.S
