subsidiary WasteControl Specialists LLC, AREVA and Hitachi Zosen Corp. subsidiary are partnering on aninterim storage facility for used commercial nuclear fuel in West Texas.

WCSand its partners on April 28 submitted an application to the U.S. NuclearRegulatory Commission for a license to construct and operate an interim nuclearwaste storage facility following a year of pre-application meetings with theNRC.

Inthe application, the companies are seeking an initial 40-year license to store40,000 metric tons of heavy metal of nuclear waste. The project, which will bebuilt in eight phases each accommodating 5,000 metric tons of heavy metal ofnuclear waste, is slated for completion as early as 2021 and will be locatedadjacent to WCS' existing radioactive and hazardous waste disposal facilitiesin Andrews, Texas.

WCSsaid it is the only privately owned and operated facility in the U.S. to belicensed to treat, store and dispose of Class A, B and C low-level radioactivewaste.