ML20149L741
| ML20149L741 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Framatome ANP Richland |
| Issue date: | 11/05/1996 |
| From: | Adams M, Chotoo S NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| To: | Pierson R NRC OFFICE OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL SAFETY & SAFEGUARDS (NMSS) |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 9611140318 | |
| Download: ML20149L741 (3) | |
Text
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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION j, -
't WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555 0001 November 5, 1996 MEMORANDUM T0:
Robert C. Pierson, Chief Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, NMSS THRU:
Michael Tokar, Section Chief Licensing Section 2 Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, NMSS FROM:
Susan D. Chotoo
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Licensing Section 2 g
Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, NMSS Mary Adams Licensing Section 2 Licensing Branch j
Division of Fuel Cycle Safety j
and Safeguards, NMSS
SUBJECT:
SUMMARY
OF THE OCTOBER 23, 1996, MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF SIEMENS POWER CORPORATION i
CONCERNING MIXED-0XIDE FUEL FABRICATION i
On Wednesday, October 23, 1996, James Edgar, Robert Copeland, and Norman Garner of Siemens Power Corporation (SPC) met with fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards staff to discuss SPC's plans to pursue a contract with the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) to produce mixed-oxide fuel from weapons plutonium.
NRC representatives included William Brach, Philip Ting, Lidia Roche, Jerry Roth, Sean Soong, Amar Datta, Michael Lamastra, Craig Hrabal, Edwin Flack, Kimberly Hardin, Mary Adams, and Susan Chotoo.
DOE has identified the following three alternatives for the reduction of the plutonium inventory:
vitrification and storage, deep borehole disposal, or fabrication into light water reactor fuel.
If DOE selects the fuel alternative, a decision expected in December 1996, DOE would then solicit statements of qualification (S0Qs) from parties interested in producing the fuel.
Four fuel producers have indicated interest in the project, including Siemens; Cogema; British Nuclear Fuels, Ltd.; and Belgonucleaire.
A Request for Proposal would be issued by the DOE in March 1997 to qualified parties and would be due five months later.
The contract would be awarded in the fall of 1998 with fuel production starting in 2005.
It is expected to be a 10-year project processing approximately 5 metric tons of plutonium per year.
9611140318 961105 I
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l Robert C. Pierson 2
The fuel fabrication would be performed at one of the following four locations: the Hanford Reservation, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Pantex, or the Savannah River Site.
DOE would own the production facility and would lease it to the contractor. Currently, Hanford is the preferred site due to the quality of its existing facilities.
Issues discussed at the meeting included the role of the NRC in activities on DOE property, the identification of utilities that would purchase and use the mixed-oxide fuel, and licensing requirements for a plutonium fuel production facility. -This facility would be licensed under 10 CFR Part 70, which contains requirements for plutonium facilities that are more extensive than those for uranium fuel production facilities.
SPC holds an NRC license for uranium fuel production at their Richland Engineering and Manufacturing Facility, and if selected by DOE, SPC would require a new license for the I
mixed-oxide production facility.
Docket 70-1257 License SNM-1227 cc:
Mr. L. J. Maas Manager, Regulatory Compliance Siemens Power Corporation 2101 Horn Rapids Road Richland, Washington 99352-0130 Distribution Docket 70-1257 PUBLIC-
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Robert C. Pierson 2
The fuel fabrication would be performed at one of the following four locations:
the Hanford Reservation, the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Pantex, or the Savannah River Site.
DOE would own the production facility and would lease it to the contractor.
Currently, Hanford is the preferred site due to the quality of its existing facilities.
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l Issues discussed at the meeting included the role of the NRC in activities on DOE property, the identification of utilities that would purchase and use the mixed-oxide fuel, and licensing requirements for a plutonium fuel production facility. This facility would be licensed under 10 CFR Part 70, which contains requirements for plutonium facilities that are more extensive than those for uranium fuel production facilities. SPC holds an NRC license for uranium fuel production at their Richland Engineering and Manufacturing i
Facility, and if selected by DOE, SPC would require a new license for the mixed-oxide production facility.
1 i
Docket 70-1257 l
j License SNM-1227 I
cc:
Mr. L. J. Maas l
Manager, Regulatory Compliance Siemens Power Corporation l
2101 Horn Rapids Road Richland, Washington 99352 0130 i
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