ML20059L308
| ML20059L308 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Claiborne |
| Issue date: | 01/24/1994 |
| From: | Rosenfeld E Public Service Enterprise Group |
| To: | NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| References | |
| NFS-94-043, NFS-94-43, NUDOCS 9402030355 | |
| Download: ML20059L308 (2) | |
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&l;--n Public Service Electric and Gas Company P.O. Box 236 Hancocks Bridge, New Jersey 08038 :
Nuclear Department January 24,'1994 NFS-94-043 Chief, Enrichment Branch Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards.
Mail'Stop 4-E-4.
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555
Dear Enrichment Branch Chief:
LES CLAIBORNE ENRICHMENT CENTER As an active purchaser of enrichment services for three 1,100 mega-watt nuclear units requiring an average 350,000 seperative work units (SWU)'per year, Public Service Electric & GasL(PSE&G) views the proposal of Louisiana. Energy Services:Claiborne Enrichment Center as a long overdue benefit for'the United States-Nuclear Industry.
For years the sole supplier of enrichment-services has been the Department of Energy's Uranium Enrichment Enterprise (now a government corporation, United States Enrichment Corporation, USEC) which uses the' extremely electricity intensive. Gaseous Diffusion. Process.. Even-as prices were increasing for domestic utilities they remained DOE customers regardless of price due to~ assurance of supply The enrichment process occurs at a time period that is concerns.
too close to a utilities refueling date.
A missed delivery'could potentially cost a utility millions of dollars. ~However, this.
cost trend in the ever increasing competitive electric utility industry is no longer acceptable.
'Therefore, it is PSE&G's opinion'that an alternate source of indigenous enrichment services.would create healthy competition:
-in the U.S. market, provide domestic' utilities with an opportunity to modestly diversify their enrichment contract.
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- l portfolio to reduce the risk associated with sole source dependence and would allow the importation of proven centrifuge technology which makes more efficient use of electricity than the GDP's.
Members of my staff have witnessed the operations of several different techologies (Cogema - French, USEC - American, Urenco - British, Dutch, German and Tenex - Russian) and have assured me that the LES project would be an overall benefit to utilities in the United States Nuclear Industry.
In conclusion, to allow LES to build in the U.S. would provide a modest expansion of the U.S. based enrichment capacity ar.d continue to promote a more competitive enrichment marketplace, which will benefit U.S. utility ratepayers in the future.
PSE&G supports the licensing and plant construction efforts of this LES venture.
Sincerely yours, i
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Rosenf d
Manager - Nuclear Fuel DJT:tlp C
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