ML20205F778
| ML20205F778 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 10/14/1988 |
| From: | Stello V NRC OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR OPERATIONS (EDO) |
| To: | |
| References | |
| SECY-88-293, NUDOCS 8810280135 | |
| Download: ML20205F778 (5) | |
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POLICY ISSUE SECY-88-293 October 14, 1988 (Informat. ion)
For:
The Comissioners from:
Victor Stello, Jr.
Executive Director for Operations Subht:
CFitTER FOR NUCLEAR WASTE REGULATORY t.t4ALYSSS (Ct;WRA OR THE CEtiTER) ACC0liPLISHMENTS At:D PLAT 1NED ACTIVITIES
Purpose:
To respond to Staf f Requirenents Menorandum (SRii) !!880815, dated August 24, 1988, requiring an inferrati1n paper sunmarizing the Center's planr.?d c'tivities for the coming year and accomplishments to dete.
Sumary:
During the first year, the Center has net or exceeded the milestones in the contract.
By the end of the second year, the Center should be ahead of the original three year phase-in projection with regard to its ability to provide necessary technical support to the staff.
Eackground:
The contract establishing the Center at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas, was placed on October 15, 1467. On October 21, 1987, the staff briefed the Comission regarding the planned start-up of the Center.
As noted during thD briefing, the staff envisiened a three-year phase-in plan for the developmer,t of the Center's technical capability and the corresponding phase out of essentially all other contractors providing assistance to the staff. On August 15, 1938, the executives of the Center ard the Office of Nuclear Paterial Safety and Safeguards (tittSS) staff briefed the Comission on activitics in planning and in hiring and preparing staff to provide necessary technical support to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Comission's (NRC's) High-level Waste Program, as described in the Five Year Plan.
Discussion:
In accordance with FRC's three-year phase-in plan, in Year 1, the startup and planning activities of the Center were to be emphasized. The Center was required to:
CONTACT:
Joseph 0. Bunting, NMSS 49?-3394 Shirley L. Fortuna, NMSS 492-0427 Q CQ ggpqy eewa j
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The Comissioners.
address the physical aspects of implementing the Center (e.g., establish facilities and an effective organizational structure identifying roles, responsibilities, and applicable management and control techniques);
develop technical and analytical capabilities including the initiation of a research program; and begin the development of the Prograu Architecture.
(The Program Architecture is defined as a systematic analysis of the entire high-level waste management system (per the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments l
Act (NWPAA)), including at-reactor storage, any interin storage such as monitored retrievable storage, defense and commercial high-level waste prog ans, and transportation, as well as the repository.
It covers the entire life cycle of the regule tory program, f rom pre-license arplication through construction, operation and closure.)
Itshouldbenotedthatourstrategyfordealingwithboth reactive work (e.g., reviewing DOE s Mission Plan Amendments, Project Descriptive Summaries, Site Characterization Plan and Study Plans) and proactive work (e.g., rulemaking) is to have the NRC staff do the work.
Outside assistance is obtained only in cases where necessary expertise is not available within the NRC staff.
During the Center's phase-in period, the staff plans to use the Center only when the remaining existing contractors do not have the necessary technical expertise, or the existing contractors have been phased out.
Specific acennplishments for the Center's first year of operation include:
1.
Permanent office facilities in San Antonio, Texas, and Arlington, Virginia were established. These f acilities will accorrodate planned growth of the core Center staff through 1990. A mainframe computer has also been provided by the Center
- Aoditiorial
- To ensure the Center's computer hardware arm software acq11sition will be compatible with NRC's and eventually with the Licensing Support System (LSS),
a group consisting of NRC and Center representatives has bee.' established. The cocrdinating group consists of the same NRC representatives wta are supporting the ongoing work which will lead to the LSS.
u The Commissioners physical aspects of establishing the Center were discussed in SECY-88-9F 2.
An 11-person management team competent in the earth science and engineering disciplines applicable to deep geologic disposal of high-level waste has been hired.
3.
The Center prepared detailed "Operations Plans" which defined the specific deliverables (e.g., Center QA Plan), costs and schedules for Years 1 and 2.
4 A large number of nanagement and administrative procedures have been developed and implemented.
5.
The hiring of additional technical staff has begun.
As of September 21 1988, the Center has on board or comitted nine additional technical core staff.
Five more full-time equivalent units for Year 1 are supplied by SwRI staff, consultants and three subcon-
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tracters.*
6.
An HRC approved Quality Assurance Manual has been developed and is being ir:plemented.
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7.
The Center has begun four research projects in the l
following areas:
(1) long-term degradation of waste package materials; (2) seismic effects on underground L
repository structures; (3) geochemistry aspects of radionuclide transport in the repository geologic environrent; and (a) characteristics of thermohydrologic r
phenomena on repository and waste-package scales in
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unsaturated geologic media.
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8.
A three-year transportation risk study was initiated.
9.
A computer code and the technology related to a code.
which were previously developed by an NRC contractor, I
were transferred to the Center. This code (CONV0),
i whichisusedtoassistinassessingraterialperformance.
I is now up and running on the Center s computer and is undergoing modification and further development by the Center. This has eliminated the need for further use by NRC of the contractor who developed the code.
t T ensure all employees, consultants, and subcontractors of CNWRA present no f
conflict of interest problems, specific provisions have been included in tbc r
I contract.
In addition, the Center has developed and implemented written procedures to address conflict of interest concerns. These procedures have been reviewed by the Office of the Genaral Counsel (OGC) ar.d found to be adequate.
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The Consaissioners d
- 10. The Center completed the preliminary design of the Program Architecture, and developed and demonstrated a computer software support system to store and process the data developed by the Program Architecture.
- 11. A number of miscellaneous deliverables were also prepared (e.g.,threespecialstudiet: Analyses of NWPAAt Possible Conflict of Interest in using ths BOM 4
i or USGS in the technical evaluation of the Natural Resources Regulatory Requirement; and State of t-Knowledge in '/aste Confidence).
These accomplistrents meet or exceed the milestones in the
- contract, i
During the second year, the Center is expected to:
q 1.
Continue the development of its technical and analytical capabilities, including planning activities 1
and the hiring of additional technical staff. New hires are planned to increase total staffing frer 26 to about 41.
4 I
2.
Deliver, by Decerber 1988, that portion of the q
Frograra Architecture related to siting the i
i repository. This deliverable will provide proactive l
support to the staff on four of the nine potential rulemakings identified in SECY-88-227 to resolve J
i regulatory uncertainties.
Following completion of j
this deliverable, the Center will begin the development of the remainder of the Program Architecture. This will include proactive srpport tt.
the remaining rulemakings and the License Application
- i Format and Content Regulatory Guide. By the end of 1989, the overall Program Architecture will be developed to the point that it can be baselined.
3.
Provide technical support to the staff in developing Technical Positions and assessment capability (e.g.,
j preclosure performance assessment strategy).
4.
Provide technical support to the staff in the reactive area by recoesnending regulatory requirements that should receive priority attention during NP.C's review of DOE's site characterization program.
The Comissioners,
Assistance will also be given in reviewing DOE's SCP, resolving technical con: erns raised in NRC's coments on DOE's consultative draf t Site Characterization Plan (such as those raised regarding the exploratory shaft), and assisting in quality assurance audits.
The level of both proactive and reactive support increases throughout the second year, consistent with NRC staff's ongoing effort to phase out other contracts as quickly as practicable.
In this regard, only two of the fifteen technical assistance contracts that were in place at the start of the Center's contract are being funded out of the FY89 budget.
5.
Continue the four research projects which were begun in Year 1.
In addition, research intends to start two new projects late in the fiscal year dealing with flow and transport in unsaturated geologic media.
6.
Comp 10tc an integrated research plan which is a deliverable from the Program Architecture development.
This will recomend research the Center as identified as necessary to reduce any significant techneial uncertainties which have been identified during tha course of the Program Architecture development, The Center's recemendations will be factored into additional findings on research needs which may evolve from the NRC staff's own development of its perfomance assessment capabilities.
7.
Continue the transportation risk study which was initiated in Year 1.
If these expectaticns are met, the Center will be ahead of the original three-year phase-in plan with regard to its ability to provide necessary technical support to the staff.
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T DISTRIBUTION:
Victor Stello, Jr. /x,
f Commissioners OGC Executive Director for Operations OI OIA GPA REGIONAL OFFICES EDO ACRS ACNW ASLBP ASLAP SECY