NRC gets 1st uranium mine application in 19 years

LOS ANGELES, Oct 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said on Thursday it has received the first new uranium mining application in nearly two decades, a further sign of a buildup of the nuclear reactor fuel ahead of an expected nuclear revival.

Energy Metals Corp has asked the nuclear regulator for a uranium recovery site at Moore Ranch in Campbell County, Wyoming. The company is based in Vancouver with a U.S. office in Edmund, Oklahoma.

"In addition to the first applications for new reactors in decades, this application for a new uranium recovery facility is a further indicator that the nuclear renaissance is real," NRC Chairman Dale E. Klein said. "The NRC is prepared to meet the challenge of conducting these license reviews in a timely and efficient manner."

The NRC is expecting a revival of nuclear power plants in the United States. The U.S. nuclear power industry was active for about 20 years starting in the mid-1950s but no new licenses for reactors have been given since the mid-1970s as the energy source fell out of favor.

Now, with nuclear power being touted as a no-emissions way of making electricity, a revival is expected by the NRC.

After uranium recover ceases at the Energy Metals Corp project in Wyoming, the NRC said, the company will be required to return the groundwater affected by the operations to pre-operation status.