ML20205B109

Submits Response to NRC Questions Concerning Lead Test Assembly Matl History,Per Request

ML20205B109
Person / Time
Site:	Sequoyah
Issue date:	03/19/1999
From:	Salas P TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
To:	NRC OFFICE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT (IRM)
References
NUDOCS 9903310151
Download: ML20205B109 (2)

Text

,.. ..a HM Tennessee Va!!ey Authonty. Post Othee Box 2000, Soddy-Dassy Tennessee 37379 March 19, 1999 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission ATTN: Document Control Desk Washington, D.C. 20555 Gentlemen:

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY (TVA)- SEQUOYAH NUCLEAR PLANT (SON) UNIT 2 - DOCKET NO. 50-328 - EACILITY OPERATING LICENSE DPR RESPONSE TO NRC QUESTIONS CONCERNING f,EAD TEST ASSEMBLY (LTA) MATERIAL HISTORY This letter is provided at the request of the NRC to answer questions related to the LTA material history.

1. "Has the LTA material ever been irradiated?" }g Yes, the uranium not meeting commercial specification provided by the United States Department of Energy (DOE)/))])O for use by TVA pursuant to the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) Privatization Act ( April 1996) has previously been irradiated in DOE weapons material production reactors.

2. "Is the ORNL Report history statement correct?"

l Yes, the statement in the Chemica' and Isotopic Analyses '

section of the Topical Report is correct. The LT.A material was a combination of scrap, floor sweepings, and casting dross from the uranium / aluminum metal processing at the Savannah River site in accordance with  ;

DOE Report Y/ES-261/RO, " Characterization Summary of Candidate Off-Specification Material for Transfer to the Tennessee Valley Authority." (The report was produced l by the highly enriched uranium [HEU] Disposition Program j Office at Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant.)

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-U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

' Page 2-March 119, 1999

3. "Where did'the-LTA material come from?"

The LTA-material has been downblended from HEU from the DOE's Savannah River site. According to DOE, this HEU is from various steps in their historical weapons material production cycle and was fuel for DOE tritium production. reactors. This material was a part of the

.200 MT of fissile material declared excess to national j security by President Clinton in March of 1995, and which DOE determined in a July 1996 Record of Decision was to be downblended to LEU to make it nonweapons-usable and converted for commercial use. In April 1996, as referenced in Item 1 above, Congress passed the USEC Privatization Act, which authorized DOE to transfer off-specification uranium to a Federal agency (TVA) for its ,

own use. The material has never previously been part of i the commercial nuclear fuel cycle.

If.you have any questions about this response, please i telephone me at (423) 843-7170 or J. D. Smith at (423) 843-6672.

Sin ,

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Pedr a r of Licensing cc: Mr. R. W. Hernan, Project Mane.ger U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission One White Flint, North 11555 Rockville Pike Rockville, Maryland 20852-2739 NRC _. nt. Inspector Sequoyah Nuclear Plant 2600 Igou Ferry Road Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee 37379-3624 Regional Administrator U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region II Atlanta Federal Center 61 Forsyth Street, SW, Suite 23T85 Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3415

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