ML022320994
| ML022320994 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Watts Bar, Sequoyah  |
| Issue date: | 09/23/2002 |
| From: | Meserve R NRC/Chairman |
| To: | J. J. Barton, Bingaman J, Callahan S, Jeffords J, Levin C, Reid H, Stump B, Tauzin W US SEN (Senate) |
| Padovan L, NRR/DLPM, 415-1423 | |
| References | |
| FOIA/PA-2007-0106 | |
| Download: ML022320994 (3) | |
Text
September 23, 2002 The Honorable Harry Reid, Chairman Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Mr. Chairman:
The purpose of this letter is to inform you of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) activities related to the Department of Energys (DOEs) program to produce tritium in Tennessee Valley Authoritys (TVAs) Watts Bar and Sequoyah reactors. In my letter to you of September 20, 2001, I stated that the NRC had received TVAs request of August 20, 2001, to amend the Watts Bar Unit 1 license to permit the use of Watts Bar in this program. We have approved TVAs request to amend the Watts Bar Unit 1 license. The amendment permits TVA to insert up to 2304 tritium-producing burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) into the Unit 1 reactor and irradiate them for one fuel cycle (about 18 months). TVA will then remove the irradiated TPBARs from the fuel assemblies and ship them to a Tritium Extraction Facility at DOEs Savannah River Site in South Carolina. Under its arrangement with DOE, TVA will then insert new TPBARs in the Unit 1 reactor and repeat the process for the life of the plant.
TVA submitted a similar amendment request for Sequoyah Units 1 and 2 on September 21, 2001. The NRC staff expects to complete its review of that request on or about September 24, 2002.
The NRC staff held a public meeting with TVA and DOE on August 20, 2001, at NRC headquarters. During the meeting, DOE and TVA presented an overview of the program to produce tritium in commercial light-water reactors. The NRC staff also held a public meeting with TVA and DOE in Evensville, Tennessee, on October 2, 2001, and expects to hold another public meeting with TVA and DOE in Rhea County, Tennessee, on the evening of October 30, 2002. At this meeting, the NRC staff will explain the results of its safety evaluations of TVAs license amendment requests for Watts Bar and Sequoyah and answer questions for members of the public.
The NRC received three requests for hearings on TVAs license amendment requests. The NRCs Atomic Safety and Licensing Board denied the requests. No appeals have been taken from the Board's denial of the requests.
Sincerely,
/RA/
Richard A. Meserve cc: Senator Pete V. Domenici
Identical letter sent to:
The Honorable Harry Reid, Chairman Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Committee on Appropriations United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 cc: Senator Pete V. Domenici The Honorable Carl Levin, Chairman Committee on Armed Services United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 cc: Senator John Warner The Honorable James M. Jeffords, Chairman Committee on Environment and Public Works United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 cc: Senator Robert C. Smith The Honorable Jeff Bingaman, Chairman Committee on Energy and Natural Resources United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 cc: Senator Frank Murkowski The Honorable W. J. Billy Tauzin, Chairman Committee on Energy and Commerce United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 cc: Representative John D. Dingell The Honorable Harry Reid, Chairman Subcommittee on Transportation, Infrastructure, and Nuclear Safety Committee on Environment and Public Works United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 cc: Senator James M. Inhofe The Honorable Sonny Callahan, Chairman Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development Committee on Appropriations United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 cc: Representative Peter J. Visclosky The Honorable Bob Stump, Chairman Committee on Armed Services United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 cc: Representative Ike Skelton The Honorable Joe Barton, Chairman Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality Committee on Energy and Commerce United States House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 cc: Representative Rick Boucher