Press Release-02-057, NRC Issues Draft Safety Evaluation Report on Proposed MOX Facility in South Carolina

Press Release-02-057: NRC Issues Draft Safety Evaluation Report on Proposed MOX Facility in South Carolina

ML021490186
Person / Time
Site:	07003098
Issue date:	05/02/2002
From:	Office of Public Affairs
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Download: ML021490186 (1)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200 Washington, DC 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov Web Site: www.nrc.gov No.02-057 May 2, 2002 NRC ISSUES DRAFT SAFETY EVALUATION REPORT ON PROPOSED MOX FACILITY IN SOUTH CAROLINA The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has issued a draft safety evaluation report concerning the construction of a proposed mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility at the Department of Energys (DOEs) Savannah River site near Aiken, South Carolina.

The draft report is a snapshot of the staffs present positions, based on information received to date. The staff expects to issue a revised draft and a final safety evaluation report on construction of the facility, after evaluating further information to be submitted by DOEs contractor, Duke Cogema Stone

& Webster (DCS).

In the draft safety evaluation report just issued, the NRC staff concluded that DCS needs to provide additional information on a number of issues before a construction authorization can be granted. A complete list of the items that the staff considers unresolved is provided in the draft report.

A copy of the Draft Safety Evaluation Report on the Construction Authorization Request for the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility will be available at:

http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/mox/licensing.html on the NRCs web site. The report will also be available through the NRC Public Document Room at 301/415-4737 or 1/800-397-4209.

If NRC authorizes construction, DCS could begin building a MOX facility designed to convert surplus weapons-grade plutonium, supplied by the Department of Energy, into MOX fuel for use in commercial nuclear power reactors authorized to use such fuel. Converting weapons-grade plutonium into MOX fuel helps advance the cause of nonproliferation by converting the material into a form unsuitable for use in weapons. DCS is required to submit a separate application for a license to operate the proposed MOX facility.