ML24283A208
| ML24283A208 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07007003 |
| Issue date: | 11/08/2024 |
| From: | Shana Helton NRC/NMSS/DFM/FFLB |
| To: | Karen Fitch American Centrifuge Operating |
| Shared Package | |
| ML24283A205 | List: |
| References | |
| EPID L-2023-LLA-0159 | |
| Download: ML24283A208 (1) | |
Text
November 8, 2024 Kelly Fitch, Regulatory Manager American Centrifuge Operating, LLC P.O. Box 628 Mail Stop 7560 3930 U.S. 23 South Piketon, Ohio 45661
SUBJECT:
APPROVAL OF TERMINATION OF SPECIAL NUCLEAR MATERIALS LICENSE NO. SNM-7003 FOR THE AMERICAN CENTRIFUGE LEAD CASCADE FACILITY (ENTERPRISE PROJECT IDENTIFICATION NUMBER:
Dear Kelly Fitch:
By letter dated November 2, 2023 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System
[ADAMS] Accession Number ML23311A313), American Centrifuge Operating, LLC (ACO), a subsidiary of Centrus Energy Corp. (Centrus), requested that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) terminate special nuclear materials (SNM) License SNM-7003 for its decommissioned demonstration and test facility known as the American Centrifuge Lead Cascade Facility (LCF) located in Piketon, Ohio. On January 5, 2024, NRC accepted the submission for detailed technical review (ML24008A015).
This action closes efforts under Enterprise Project Identification Number L-2023-LLA-0159. Terminating this license has no impact on ACOs active license SNM-2011 for the American Centrifuge Plant, also located in Piketon, Ohio, that supports the Department of Energys high-assay low-enriched uranium program.
The NRC issued SNM-7003 on February 24, 2004 (ML062630432). The LCF was authorized to enrich uranium up to 10 weight percent in uranium-235 in up to 240 operating centrifuges in buildings leased by ACO from the Office of Nuclear Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy.
The LCF operated between 2006 and 2016 for the purpose of obtaining and assessing performance data. The centrifuge cascades operated in recycle mode, that is, no uranium hexafluoride (UF6) product was withdrawn from the cascades for commercial purposes. Only small samples of products were removed for performance assessment. The LCF ceased operations in 2016. Between 2017 and 2018, ACO decommissioned the LCF under NRC-approved programs for the LCF by removing the UF6 inventory from the centrifuges and process piping, decontaminating the LCF, and dismantling and appropriately dispositioning the LCF equipment and materials.
On January 5, 2018, ACO submitted its revised decommissioning plan for the LCF (ML18025B308 and ML18025B310) to the NRC for review and approval. On August 7, 2018, the NRC staff approved ACO's decommissioning plan for the LCF (ML18192B477, ML18192B644, and ML18192B828). On April 19, 2018, ACO completed its Final Status Survey
K. Fitch 2
Report (FSSR) for the LCF and submitted it to the NRC for review and approval (ML18145A130, ML18145A131, ML18145A132, and ML18145A133). On September 23, 2019, based on the NRCs review of the FSSR and an independent confirmatory survey of the LCF performed by its contractor, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the NRC found and notified ACO in a letter that it had reasonable assurance that ACO had appropriately decommissioned the LCF in accordance with the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 20 Standards for Protection Against Radiation (ML19228A096, ML19228A097, ML19228A098).
By letter dated June 18, 2019 (ML19172A105), ACO requested the NRC to cancel the financial assurance instruments associated with the LCF decommissioning program that had been submitted to NRC on April 15, 2013 (ML13114A304). Since ACO wished to retain the LCF license for programmatic purposes only, the following ACO-proposed condition was added to its LCF license SNM-7003 No licensed material shall be received into the Lead Cascade without prior NRC approval.
In its final step in decommissioning the LCF, ACO submitted Form 314, Certificate of Disposition of Materials, to the NRC on April 25, 2024 (ML24135A205). The NRC staff finds ACOs certification that all licensed material within the LCF has been adequately dispositioned in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR 70.38(j)(1) to be adequate (ML24260A089).
The Commission grants ACOs request to terminate SNM-7003, based on the NRC staffs (1) approval of ACOs decommissioning plan for the LCF on August 7, 2018, (2) finding of reasonable assurance that ACO had appropriately decommissioned the LCF on September 23, 2019, and (3) ACOs April 25, 2024, certification that all licensed material under SNM-7003 has been adequately dispositioned. This license termination will be effective upon ACOs acknowledgement of receipt of the NRCs termination letter.
A copy of the termination Federal Register notice (FRN), which will be issued by the date of this letter, and the terminated license are enclosed for your information. The FRN includes an environmental assessment (EA) that addresses the potential environmental impacts of this licensing action.
In accordance with 10 CFR Section 2.390 of the NRCs Agency Rules of Practice and Procedure, a copy of this letter, the Federal Register notice and the terminated license will be available electronically for public inspection in the NRC Public Document Room or from the Publicly Available Records component of the NRCs ADAMS. ADAMS is accessible from the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html.
K. Fitch 3
If you have any questions regarding this communication please contact Yawar Faraz, Senior Project Manager, at 301-415-7220 or via email at yawar.faraz@nrc.gov.
Sincerely, Shana Helton, Director Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards Docket No. 07007003 License No. SNM-7003
Enclosures:
- 1. Federal Register Notice and EA
- 2. Terminated LCF License cc: M. Snider, ACP General Manager, Centrus M. Reim, DOE NE-HQ D. Watts, Director, Regulatory Affairs, Centrus J. Hutson, NRC Contractor S. Rice, NRC Contractor centrus_acp@listmgr.nrc.gov Signed by Helton, Shana on 11/08/24
ML24283A205 (Pkg), ML24283A208 (ltr),
ML24283A207 (FRN/EA), ML24283A206 (Lic)
OFFICE DFM/FFLB/PM DFM/FFLB/LA OGC DUWP/URMDB REFS/EPMB2 NAME YFaraz JGoodridge PJehle BVon Till RSun DATE 10/10/2024 10/11/2024 10/25/2024 10/28/2024 10/28/2024 OFFICE DFM/FFLB/BC (A)
NMSS/DFM/D NAME JDowns SHelton DATE 10/28/2024 11/08/2024