Press Release-II-15-020, NRC Schedules Meeting to Discuss Performance at Mixed Oxide Facility

Press Release-II-15-020: NRC Schedules Meeting to Discuss Performance at Mixed Oxide Facility

ML15103A108
Person / Time
Issue date:	04/07/2015
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
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Category:Press Release
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Press Release-II-15-020
Download: ML15103A108 (1)

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No: II-15-020 April 7, 2015 CONTACT: Roger Hannah 404-997-4417 Joey Ledford 404-997-4416 NRC Schedules Meeting to Discuss Performance at Mixed Oxide Facility The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a meeting April 16 with officials of Chicago Bridge & Iron AREVA MOX Services to discuss the results of the Applicant Performance Review for the Mixed Oxide Fabrication Facility under construction at the Savannah River Site.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Garden Conference Room of the Applied Research Center, 301 Gateway Dr., in New Ellenton, S.C. NRC staff members will be available to answer questions or provide information after the formal portion of the meeting.

The NRC review covered calendar year 2014 and concluded that construction activities were consistent with NRC rules and regulations as well as the conditions of the MOX construction authorization. No areas were identified as needing improvement and the NRC plans to continue to conduct its extensive inspection of construction activities at the site.

The MOX facility, being constructed by Chicago Bridge & Iron AREVA MOX Services, is located at the U.S. Department of Energys Savannah River Site near Aiken, S.C. When completed, the site will be owned by the DOEs National Nuclear Security Administration and will convert supplies of surplus weapons-grade plutonium into more proliferation-resistant material by blending it with natural or depleted uranium. When converted into mixed oxide, or MOX fuel, it can be used in commercial nuclear reactors to generate electricity. The NRC issued a construction authorization for the facility in March 2005 and extended it last November for an additional 10 years.

The performance review letter for the MOX facility is available on the NRC website.