ML24339A067
| ML24339A067 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 12/06/2024 |
| From: | Yawar Faraz NRC/NMSS/DFM/FFLB |
| To: | |
| References | |
| Download: ML24339A067 (2) | |
Text
Summaries of Two Conference Calls with Centrus/American Centrifuge Operating December 6, 2024 Dates: November 15 and 20, 2024 November 15, 2024
Participants:
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC): Yawar Faraz, Jeremy Munson, Patricia Jehle, Christine Pineda American Centrifuge Operating, LLC (ACO): Kelly Fitch, Ralph Winiarski, Bob Bahney Summary:
The NRC staff requested this call to discuss:
(1) ACOs response dated October 17, 2024 (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML24299A090 non-public), to NRCs request for additional information (ML24247A176 non-public, ML24247A177 public) regarding ACOs request for an exemption from having criticality accident alarm system monitoring for certain specific locations at the American Centrifuge Plant (ACP) in Piketon, Ohio (ML24135A314 non-public, ML24135A293 public), and (2) the need for a license condition requiring prior notification to the NRC of planned modifications to ACOs contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) regarding high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) production at the ACP. This item pertains to ACOs license amendment request dated September 12, 2024 (ML24262A088 non-public, ML24262A084, public), to remove its contract completion date from the ACP license SNM-2011 for the purpose of potentially avoiding submittal of license amendment requests every time the contract is modified, including completion date extensions.
For the first discussion topic identified above, the NRC staff asked clarifying questions regarding (1) the areas in which ACO deems a criticality risk to be not credible with respect to the presence of heavy moderators, (2) the likelihood and credibility of a commingling upset between fissile packages and fissile-exempt packages in storage areas, and (3) the path forward for incorporating ACOs requested exemption into the materials license should the exemption request be approved.
ACO stated that it would provide suggested language for incorporation of the exemption into the materials license. ACO also stated that it would provide supplemental information to clarify (1) the potential presence of heavy moderators in areas in which the licensee deems a criticality risk to be not credible, and (2) the potential commingling upset between fissile packages and fissile-exempt packages in storage areas.
For the second discussion topic identified above, the NRC staff discussed the need for a license condition (LC) that would require that ACO provide the NRC a 30-day or more prior written notification of anticipated or needed changes to its contract with DOE, including contract completion date extensions. The proposed license condition would allow the NRC staff to
confirm that the contract between DOE and ACO provides adequate assurance that the NRCs requirements related to (1) financial qualifications for operating the HALEU cascade safely and securely, (2) liability insurance for a nuclear incident arising out of or in connection with the contract activity, and (3) decommissioning financial assurance continue to be met.
In its September 12, 2024, license application request, ACO proposed removal of the termination date for the DOE-ACO contract from License Condition 15, because inclusion of the date typically requires a license amendment each time DOE changes the termination date. The NRC staff indicated the removal of the contract termination date in License Condition 15 would be acceptable because the proposed license condition [LC 31] would provide the staff time to assess the contract change and determine whether a license amendment request is needed.
ACOs proposed license condition would streamline the NRC staffs review of future ACO contract modifications and bring efficiency to the assessment of minor, non-safety-related and non-security-related changes to the contract, such as a simple 6-month contract extension.
November 20, 2024
Participants:
NRC: Yawar Faraz, Patricia Jehle ACO: Kelly Fitch Summary:
ACO requested this call to discuss its draft license condition related to the second discussion topic of the November 15, 2024 discussion. The NRC staff indicated that it did not have any concerns related to the proposed license condition presented by ACO. ACO finalized the license condition and submitted it to the NRC by letter dated November 21, 2024 (ML24331A050). The proposed license condition is as follows:
ACO shall provide at least a 30-day prior written notification to the NRC of anticipated or needed changes to its HALEU Demonstration contract that are material to ACOs license, including contract completion date extensions. Such written notifications shall include the anticipated or needed changes to the contract and the status of DOEs review with respect to a proposed change. If it is not possible for ACO to provide the 30-day prior notification, ACO shall provide the prior notification before the change is made, and as early as possible, with an explanation of why the required 30-day notification time period could not be met.
/RA/
Yawar Faraz, Senior Project Manager Fuel Facility Licensing Branch Division of Fuel Management Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards DISTRIBUTION:
CPineda, NMSS SHelton, NMSS KMorgan-Butler, NMSS JDowns, NMSS SLav, NMSS FMiller, NMSS DWoodyatt, NMSS PJehle. OGC JMunson, NSIR RSun, NMSS SMcCarthy, NMSS LPitts, RII