Press Release-03-005, NRC Meeting on Proposed Mox Facility

Press Release-03-005: NRC Meeting on Proposed Mox Facility

ML030100282
Person / Time
Site:	07003098
Issue date:	01/10/2003
From:	Office of Public Affairs
To:
References
-RFPFR Press Release-03-005
Download: ML030100282 (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.03-005 January 10, 2003 NRC MEETING ON PROPOSED MOX FACILITY The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is meeting with Duke Cogema Stone & Webster (DCS) on January 15-16 to discuss chemical and nuclear criticality safety and confinement ventilation related to the mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility proposed for the Department of Energys Savannah River site near Aiken, South Carolina.

The meeting, which is open to the public for observation, will be held in Room O-7B4 each day from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at NRC Headquarters, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland. The public will have opportunities to communicate with NRC staff after the business portion, but before the meeting is adjourned.

If NRC authorizes construction, DCS could begin building the MOX facility to convert surplus weapons-grade plutonium, supplied by DOE, into MOX fuel for use in those commercial nuclear power reactors authorized to use such fuel. Converting weapons-grade plutonium into MOX fuel advances the cause of nonproliferation by converting the material into a form unsuitable for use in weapons.

For additional information, contact Andrew Persinko at 301-415-6522 or by e-mail at AXP1@nrc.gov .