ML22080A012
| ML22080A012 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hermes File:Kairos Power icon.png |
| Issue date: | 03/23/2022 |
| From: | Benjamin Beasley, Cuadrado S, Doub J, Tami Dozier, Edward Helvenston NRC/NRR/DANU/UARL |
| To: | Kairos Power |
| Helvenston E | |
| References | |
| Download: ML22080A012 (22) | |
Text
Benjamin Beasley, Samuel Cuadrado, and Edward Helvenston, Safety Project Managers Tamsen Dozier and Peyton Doub, Environmental Project Managers PUBLIC OUTREACH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING MEETING FOR THE KAIROS HERMES NUCLEAR TEST FACILITY CONSTRUCTION PERMIT APPLICATION Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Purposes of this Meeting
- Provide an overview of the NRCs Mission
- Describe the NRC review process
- Discuss scoping process under NEPA and NRCs regulations
- Describe how you can provide comments during the scoping period
- Answer your questions, and listen to and gather your comments 2
Nuclear Regulatory Commission U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Independent Federal Agency
- Up to Five Commissioners
- Professional Staff
- Over 40 years of experience regulating all civilian use of nuclear materials, including power and non-power reactors
- Mission: To protect public health and safety, promote common defense and security, and protect the environment 3
What the NRC Does
- Determines whether it is safe to build and operate a proposed nuclear reactor at a site
- Evaluates the environmental impacts of building and operating a nuclear reactor at the proposed site
- Inspects construction and safe operation of nuclear reactors
- Licenses reactor control room operators 4
The Kairos Hermes Facility Non-power test reactor (35 megawatts-thermal) to demonstrate key technologies of Kairos Power Fluoride Salt-Cooled, High Temperature Reactor for future commercial deployment Reactor fuel: tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) pebbles containing high assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU)
Reactor coolant: molten lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride (Flibe) salt Reactor moderator and reflector: graphite Reactor is compact in size (~10 ft diameter, ~16 ft height)
Low pressure, large thermal inertia, slow transient response, TRISO and Flibe retention of radionuclides, and other features to ensure safety 5
(Source: Kairos Power)
(Source: Kairos Public Meeting Presentation, January 2021)
Proposed Hermes Site 6
185-acre site in East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP) in City of Oak Ridge Utilize lands formerly occupied by Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP)
Buildings K-33 and K-31 (Source: Hermes PSAR Ch 2)
(Source: Hermes PSAR Ch 2)
Test Reactor Construction Permit -
NRC Review Process Safety Review Environmental Review Safety Evaluation Report ACRS Review ACRS Letter Scoping Activities Draft EIS Comments On Draft Final EIS Mandatory Uncontested Hearing Public Participation Construction Permit Application Commission Decision on Application 7
Pre-Application Activities ACRS: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards EIS: Environmental Impact Statement Opportunity to Request a Hearing Opportunity to Request a Hearing
NRC Safety Review Process The NRC staff performs test and research reactor (i.e., non-power reactor) safety reviews in accordance with guidance in NUREG-1537, Guidelines for Preparing and Reviewing Applications for the Licensing of Non-Power Reactors.
Areas of review for a Construction Permit Application include (partial list):
Facility site characteristics Preliminary facility design Preliminary analyses of facility operation and possible accidents Quality assurance Emergency preparedness Kairos submitted its Hermes Construction Permit Application in September and October 2021 (2 parts); NRC accepted the application for review and began its detailed review of the application in November 2021.
To clearly document its safety findings, and support an open and transparent process, the NRC staff safety review is summarized in a Safety Evaluation Report.
The NRC staff currently expects to complete its Safety Evaluation Report in September 2023.
8
Construction Permit Hearing
- A mandatory uncontested hearing on the construction permit application will be held at a time and place to be set in the future
- Staff will present and support its conclusions before either the Commission or the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB)
- Interested persons may file a petition for leave to intervene (i.e., contested hearing) with respect to the application
- The petition period is currently open and will close on April 11 9
Construction Permit
- An NRC document that authorizes an applicant to proceed with construction of a nuclear facility
- An additional application and NRC review of a final design is needed for an Operating License that approves operation of the facility 10
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW PROCESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING
Kairos Hermes Reactor
- Non-power test reactor - Demonstrate new technology
- 185-acre site in East Tennessee Technology Park (ETTP)
- Previous site of DOE Buildings K-33 and K-31
- Municipal/commercial water supply and treatment
- No surface or ground water use or discharge
- No cooling towers or transmission lines 12
Environmental Review
- Evaluate environmental impacts of construction and operation of a proposed nuclear facility per National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
- Test reactor requires the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
- NRC systematic approach:
- Regulations (10 CFR Part 51)
- Public Comments 13
Environmental Review Process Application Accepted and Docketed Notice of Intent Published Opportunity to Request Hearing Information Gathering:
Scoping Site Audit Other Data Collection Draft EIS Prepared and Issued Commission Decision on Application Final EIS Prepared and Issued Safety Review Comments On Draft EIS Mandatory Uncontested Hearing Scoping Process 14
Environmental Scoping
- The scoping process helps determine the significant issues to be analyzed in the environmental impact statement
- The scoping period ends on April 19, 2022
- Comments that apply to the environmental review will be considered in development of the Draft EIS
- A Scoping Summary Report will be issued following the close of the scoping period 15
Information Gathering EIS Construction Permit Application and Supplemental Submittals Audit of the Application Public Comments Tribal, State &
Local Agencies Social Services Federal Agencies 16
Resource Areas Meteorology and Air Quality Radiation Protection Fuel Cycle/
Waste/
Accident Analysis Terrestrial Ecology Land Use Socioeconomics/
Environmental Justice Aquatic Ecology Hydrologic Sciences (Surface and Groundwater)/
Water Use and Quality Archaeology/
Cultural Resources Alternative Sites Source U.S. NRC Human Health 17
Anticipated Environmental Review Schedule o Published Federal Register notice February 18, 2022 o Scoping period from February 18 to April 19, 2022; virtual meeting today o Expect to publish draft EIS in November 2022 o There will be a 45-day comment period on the Draft EIS o Final EIS expected to be published in September 2023 NRCs NEPA Process Notice of Intent to Conduct Scoping and Prepare EIS Scoping Process Notice of Availability of Draft EIS Public Comments on Draft EIS Notice of Availability of Final EIS 18
Contested Hearing
- Petition to Intervene requests to be filed no later than April 11, 2022
- Digital certificate or waiver required for filing a petition
- Instructions for e-filing are in the Federal Register hearing notice (87 FR 7503) or at www.nrc.gov/site-help/e-submittals.html
- Allow 10 business days for obtaining the digital certificate 19
Access to the Kairos Hermes Documents https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/non-power/hermes-kairos.html Oak Ridge Public Library 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike Oak Ridge, TN 37830 20
Additional Information NRC's Kairos Hermes Project Web Site https://www.nrc.gov/reactors/non-power/hermes-kairos.html NRC Staff Points of Contacts:
Benjamin Beasley, Safety Project Manager, (800) 368-5642 ext. 2062, Benjamin.Beasley@nrc.gov Edward Helvenston, Safety Project Manager, (800) 368-5642 ext. 4067, Edward.Helvenston@nrc.gov Samuel Cuadrado, Safety Project Manager, (800) 368-5642 ext. 2946, Samuel.CuadradoDeJesus@nrc.gov Tamsen Dozier, Environmental Project Manager, (800) 368-5642, ext.
2272, Tamsen.Dozier@nrc.gov Peyton Doub, Environmental Project Manager, (800) 368-5642, ext.
6703, Peyton.Doub@nrc.gov 21
Submitting Scoping Comments KairosHermes-CPEIS@nrc.gov Office of Administration Mail Stop TWFN-7-A60M U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Washington, DC 20555-0001 ATTN: Program Management, Announcements and Editing Staff When submitting a comment, please provide your name and e-mail address so that we may provide a copy of the draft and final EIS Comments are due by April 19, 2022 22