ML23166A029
| ML23166A029 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | National Bureau of Standards Reactor |
| Issue date: | 03/10/2023 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| References | |
| News Release-23-021 | |
| Download: ML23166A029 (1) | |
Text
No: 23-021 March 10, 2023 CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200 NRC Authorizes Restart of National Institute of Standards and Technology Reactor The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has concluded the National Institute of Standards and Technology has satisfied the requirements to safely restart the NIST research reactor in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The facility has been safely shut down since February 2021, when an event damaged a reactor fuel element without affecting public health and safety.
Weve reached this decision after extensive review of the event, NISTs corrective actions, and additional work the facility has done to ensure safe operation, said Andrea Veil, director of the NRCs Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. Were satisfied this research facilitys important systems and components are ready to go, and were satisfied the reactor staff are ready to carry out improved procedures for maintaining safety. Well continue our increased oversight of the facility and its ongoing corrective actions.
NRC approval was required before the facility could restart the reactor because the facility violated the fuel cladding temperature safety limit. The NRCs technical evaluation report includes: review of the facilitys systems to verify there was no adverse impact from the event; NISTs actions to comply with the Confirmatory Order issued in August 2022; and results from follow-on NRC inspections. NISTs actions covered several areas relevant to the 2021 event, including: fuel handling and related management activities; the facilitys safety culture and corrective action program; and the facilitys emergency response resources and procedures.
The NRC also separately reviewed and approved several amendments to the facilitys license that were requested by NIST to support the safe restart of the facility.