ML25330A123
| ML25330A123 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Westinghouse |
| Issue date: | 12/29/2025 |
| From: | NRC/NMSS/DFM/FFLB |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML25330A120 | List: |
| References | |
| Download: ML25330A123 (0) | |
Text
Enclosure 2 MEETING
SUMMARY
(OPEN SESSION)
Subject:
SUMMARY
OF SEPTEMBER 08, 2025, PARTIALLY CLOSED PRE-APPLICATION LICENSE AMENDMENT REQUEST AND INTEGRATED SAFETY ANALYSIS SUBMITTAL PUBLIC MEETING WITH WESTINGHOUSE COLUMBIA FUEL FABRICATION FACILITY Date:
September 08, 2025 Following opening remarks and introductions, Westinghouse Columbia Fuel Fabrication Facility (Westinghouse CFFF) staff presented their slides (Agencywide Documents Access and Management System Accession No. ML25246C211) pertaining to the license amendment request and integrated safety analysis (ISA) summary submittal and schedule for their planned low-enriched uranium plus (LEU+) expansion at the Westinghouse CFFF site in Hopkins, South Carolina.
Westinghouse CFFF staff provided a high-level overview of the LEU+ project. They explained that the primary objective is to support customer demands for longer refueling cycles (i.e.,
moving from 18 to 24 months) by increasing uranium enrichment levels up to 8 percent (%). To achieve this, Westinghouse CFFF plans to construct a new facility in Hopkins, South Carolina.
This facility, referred to as the LEU+ facility, will be capable of producing up to 600 metric tons of uranium per year and will partially absorb the workload from existing operations, especially for customers transitioning to higher enrichment levels.
Westinghouse CFFF staff emphasized that the project would require multiple permits and licenses, including a license amendment, and that the facility design incorporates sustainability principles, automation, and engineered controls. They also noted that the project would create new jobs and offer advancement opportunities for current employees.
Westinghouse CFFF staff then walked through the technical aspects of the facility. The conversion process will be ammonia-free and dry, designed to safely handle uranium hexafluoride enriched up to 8%. The pelleting process will support advanced doping technologies and include automation and enclosures to reduce exposure and improve safety.
The facility will also feature integrated fuel burnable absorber capabilities, automated rod loading and welding, and its own uranium recovery system with reduced ammonia use.
Compared to the current Columbia facility, the LEU+ plant is expected to have lower emissions, fewer administrative controls, and improved radiation protection for workers due to enclosed systems and automation.
Westinghouse CFFF staff also shared a visual rendering of the facility, describing its location relative to existing site infrastructure. The new building will be situated behind the current administrative building, in an area that is currently open field and partially wooded.
In reference to the ISA summary, Westinghouse CFFF staff explained that they will follow the existing license framework, specifically in Chapter 4, which outlines the ISA methodology. This includes identifying initiating events and external hazards, analyzing credible accident sequences, and determining their likelihood and consequences. Based on this analysis, Westinghouse will identify items relied on for safety to meet performance criteria. Westinghouse CFFF noted that a pre-application meeting had already been held to discuss the ISA summary and management measures, and that the current meeting would continue exploring ISA approaches in more detail during the closed session.
2 During the question-and-answer portion of the meeting, no questions were raised by either the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff or the public and the open portion of the meeting was adjourned.
PRINCIPAL CONTRIBUTORS Robert Mathis, NMSS/DFM/FFLB Yawar Faraz, NMSS/DFM/FFLB