ML21053A044
| ML21053A044 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 02/22/2021 |
| From: | Bruce Watson Reactor Decommissioning Branch |
| To: | John Mckirgan Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch |
| Ted Smith NMSS/DUWP | |
| References | |
| Download: ML21053A044 (3) | |
Text
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February 22, 2021 MEMORANDUM TO:
John B. McKirgan, Chief Storage and Transportation Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards FROM:
Bruce A. Watson, Chief Reactor Decommissioning Branch Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Waste Programs Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards
SUBJECT:
REFERRAL OF RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT FROM REACTOR DECOMMISSIONING FINANCIAL ASSURANCE WORKING GROUP This memorandum transmits an item for referral from the Final Report of the Reactor Decommissioning Financial Assurance Inter-Office Working Group (WG) (Agencywide Document Access and Management System Accession Number ML20121A188).
The WG was established to ensure effective regulation and oversight of financial assurance of reactors in decommissioning. The WG participants include branch chiefs and senior staff with expertise and responsibility for key aspects of the reactor decommissioning financial assurance process from affected Office of the Executive Director for Operations Staff Offices, as well as the Office of the General Counsel. This included WG members from the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR), the Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) (both the Division of Decommissioning, Uranium Recovery and Waste Programs and the Division of Rulemaking, Environmental and Financial Support), as well as Region I, III, and IVs Divisions of Nuclear Materials Safety.
The WG also considered some items that were determined to be outside the scope of the WGs charter. After evaluation, one item was dispositioned by a commitment to provide a possible guidance initiative related to the establishment of provisional trust funds pending the Department of Energy (DOE) reimbursement to the Division of Fuel Management for consideration.
CONTACT: Theodore B. Smith, NMSS/DUWP/RDB 301-415-6721
J. McKirgan 2
The recommendation to be referred is item 9 from the report, which starts on page 21. Item 9 discusses a recommendation to provide irradiated nuclear fuel funding guidance for use of provisional trust funds, and is repeated below:
The WG identified past practices regarding the establishment of provisional funding requirements for licensees for spent fuel management, pending the DOE reimbursements to the licensee. Licensees typically rely on estimated dates for the DOE taking the spent fuel for disposal and propose irradiated fuel management fund schedules based on the estimated dates.
In the past, the NRC has required licensees to establish provisional trust funds that would be exercised if the DOE reimbursements were delayed. The NRC guidance could be amended to indicate that a good practice would be for the licensee to establish provisional trust funds, which would be enacted if the DOE does not take the fuel by the licensees estimated dates.
If you have any questions about this referral, please contact Ted Smith of my staff at Ted.Smith@nrc.gov, who chaired the WG.
cc: P. Holahan, NMSS/DUWP
J. McKirgan 3
SUBJECT:
REFERRAL OF RECOMMENDATION RELATED TO SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT FROM REACTOR DECOMMISSIONING FINANCIAL ASSURANCE WORKING GROUP DATED FEBRUARY 22, 2021 DISTRIBUTION:
Public SHarwell, NMSS/REFS/FAB RTurtil, NMSS/REFS/FAB JLamb, NRR/DORL ADimitriadis, RI REdwards, RIII DHills, RIII, GWarnick, RIV, JWachutka, OGC AGhosh Naber, OGC RIDSNmssDUWP Resource ADAMS Accession Number: ML21053A044 *via email OFFICIAL RECORD COPY OFFICE NMSS/DUWP/
RDB/PM NMSS/DUWP
/RDB NAME TSmith*
BWatson*
DATE 02/18/2021 02/22/2021