ML003743192
| ML003743192 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 08/22/2000 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| References | |
| Download: ML003743192 (2) | |
See also: see also:Press Release-00-127
Text
NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs
Telephone: 301/415-8200
Washington, DC 20555-001
E-mail: opa@nrc.gov
Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA
No.00-127
August 22, 2000
NRC ISSUES FINAL REVIEW PLAN FOR MIXED OXIDE
FUEL FABRICATION FACILITY
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published a final plan for the review of an expected
application for a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility.
The Department of Energy has announced plans to construct a MOX fuel fabrication facility at
its Savannah River site in South Carolina through a contract with Duke Cogema Stone & Webster
(known as DCS). DCS would construct and operate a MOX facility that would convert surplus
weapons-grade plutonium provided by the DOE into fuel to power commercial nuclear reactors.
Commercial nuclear power plants in the United States currently use uranium as fuel; the mixed oxide
fuel would be a combination of uranium and plutonium.
This initiative is one strategy that the Department of Energy is undertaking to dispose of surplus
plutonium. By converting this material into spent fuel, the plutonium becomes more difficult to
recover and use in nuclear weapons.
The facility would be the first MOX fuel fabrication plant licensed by NRC that converts
weapons grade plutonium into fuel for commercial nuclear reactors.
Under NRCs regulations, potential operators of plutonium facilities, such as a MOX fuel
fabrication plant, must obtain authorization from the agency to begin construction and must obtain a
license before operating the facility.
The Standard Review Plan provides guidance to the NRC staff performing safety, safeguards,
and environmental reviews of the anticipated applications for both construction and operation. The
plan ensures the quality, uniformity, and predictability of the reviews. NRC will be reviewing the
following information about the proposed MOX facility:
ÿ
General information about the applicant and the plant site;
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Applicants financial qualifications to construct and operate the facility;
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Provisions for protection from radiation exposure, chemical exposure, fires, and other
emergencies;
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Plans to protect against theft, loss or diversion of special nuclear material; and
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Management and administrative procedures.
Each section of the plan addresses the responsibilities of NRC technical reviewers, regulations
pertinent to specific technical areas, acceptance criteria used by the staff, and the methods used to
accomplish the review.
The NRC published a draft plan in February, and received over 300 comments. A public
meeting was held in May, and all comments were considered in formulating the final version of the
plan.
A copy of the Standard Review Plan for the Review of an Application for a Mixed Oxide
(MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility, (NUREG-1718), is available by writing to the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, Distribution Services, Washington DC 20555-0001. The review plan is also
available on the agencys website, at http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NUREGS/SR1718/index.html