ML19351A032
| ML19351A032 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Vallecitos File:GEH Hitachi icon.png |
| Issue date: | 06/16/1981 |
| From: | Crawford J ENERGY, DEPT. OF |
| To: | Grossman H Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8106250065 | |
| Download: ML19351A032 (2) | |
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Il Mr. Herbert Grossman, Chairman B8 Atomic Safety and Licensing Board 4
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission
,y Washington, D.C.
20555
Dear Mr. Grossman:
This letter is in reference to a Nuclear Regulatory Comission Public Hearing concerning restart of the General Electric Test Reactor, Operating License TR-1, Docket 50-70, Show Cause Proceeding.
The Gen-J. Electric Test Reactor was shut down on October 27,1977, by a Nucl%r Regulatory Comission Show Cause Order after a nearby geological feature was interpreted to be a thrust fault. Since that time, General Electric and the Nuclear Regulatory Comission havt completed studies and analyses on the modification of the General Electric Test Reactor facility to meet appro-priate seismic design criteria.
It is our understanding that there is now 4
agreement between the Nuclear Regulatory Comission staff and General Electric on the structures and equipment required for safe restart of the General Electric Test Reactor.
The U.S. Department of Energy believes that the General Electric Test Reactor is a valuable facility that should be returned to operation promptly. Since the shutdown of the General Electric Test Reactor, the Department has had serious concerns about the nonavailability of a domestic test reactor to perform needed irradiations of advanced commercial power reactor fuel.
Foreign facilities have of necessity been used for this purpose instead. We believe it is in the national interest to reestablish a comercial fuel irradiction capability in the United States for the following reasons:
1.
There is no assurance of future ability to conduct this wort in foreign facilities, since future approval by foreign authorities of irradiated fuel shipments over foreign soil is uncertain.
2.
Both the Department of Energy and U.S. industry are currently incurring additional costs for shipping test fuel rods between the United States and foreign irradiation testing facilities. These shipments and the approvals needed to conduct them also adversely impact the schedules of irradiation tests done in foreign facilities.
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Conduct of key parts of our fuel development by foreign organizations J
necessarily involves transfer of some of the knowledge gained to these i
organizations, without our being able to negotiate information exchange agreements or otherwise obtain quid pro quos for the technology transferred.
4.
Restart of the General Electric Test Reactor will serve to reestablish
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and maintain our domestic capabilities in irradiation testing of advanced J
power reactor fuel.
5.
Conducting this work in foreign facilities adversely affects employment in the United States and adversely affects our balance of trade.
For these reasons, the early restart of the General Electric Test Reactor will contribute to maintaining U.S. technological leadership in the world in the area of' advanced power reactor fuel.
We urge the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to act expeditiously and positively on the restart of the General Electric Test Reactor facility.
Sincerely, f/m W Sw f
..dohn W. Crawford, Jr Acting Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy l
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