ML22080A012
| ML22080A012 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Hermes |
| 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
PUBLIC OUTREACH AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCOPING MEETING FOR THE KAIROS HERMES NUCLEAR TEST FACILITY CONSTRUCTION PERMIT APPLICATION Wednesday, March 23, 2022 Benjamin Beasley, Samuel Cuadrado, and Edward Helvenston, Safety Project Managers Tamsen Dozier and Peyton Doub, Environmental Project Managers
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 (Source: Kairos Power)
(Source: Kairos Public Meeting Presentation, January 2021)
- 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)
radionuclides, and other features to ensure safety
Proposed Hermes Site (Source: Hermes PSAR Ch 2) (Source: Hermes PSAR Ch 2)
- 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) 6 Buildings K-33 and K-31
Test Reactor Construction Permit -
NRC Review Process ACRS ACRS Review Letter Safety Safety Evaluation Review Report Opportunity to Request a Hearing Construction Pre-Application Mandatory Uncontested Commission Permit Activities Hearing Decision on Application Application Opportunity to Request a Hearing Environmental Scoping Draft Comments Final Review Activities On Draft EIS EIS Public ACRS: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Participation 7 EIS: Environmental Impact Statement
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
- 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 Notice of Intent Published Application Scoping Accepted and Process Opportunity to Docketed Request Hearing Information Gathering:
Scoping Draft EIS Site Audit Prepared and Issued Other Data Collection Final EIS Mandatory Commission Comments Prepared and Uncontested Decision on On Draft EIS Issued Hearing Application Safety Review 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 Construction Permit Application and Supplemental Submittals Audit of the Public Application Comments EIS Tribal, State & Social Local Agencies Services Federal Agencies 16
Resource Areas Meteorology and Air Quality Human Health Fuel Cycle/
Radiation Socioeconomics/ Waste/
Protection Environmental Justice Accident Analysis Terrestrial Land Use Aquatic Ecology Ecology Archaeology/ Hydrologic Sciences Alternative Sites Cultural Resources (Surface and Groundwater)/
Water Use and Quality Source U.S. NRC 17
Anticipated Environmental Review Schedule Notice of Intent to Conduct Scoping and o Published Federal Register notice February 18, 2022 NRCs NEPA Process Prepare EIS o Scoping period from February 18 to Scoping Process April 19, 2022; virtual meeting today Notice of Availability o Expect to publish draft EIS in of Draft EIS November 2022 Public Comments on o There will be a 45-day comment Draft EIS period on the Draft EIS Notice of Availability of o Final EIS expected to be published Final EIS in September 2023 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