ML070940237

Press Release-07-043: NRC to Hold Public Meeting in Aiken, S.C., on License Review Process for MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility

ML070940237
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Site:	07003098
Issue date:	04/04/2007
From:	Office of Public Affairs
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Press Release-07-043
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See also: see also:Press Release-07-043

Text

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Telephone: 301/415-8200

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001 E-mail: opa@nrc.gov

Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov

No.07-043

April 4, 2007

NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING IN AIKEN, S.C., ON LICENSE REVIEW PROCESS

FOR MOX FUEL FABRICATION FACILITY

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public meeting April 12 in Aiken, S.C., to

discuss its review of an application by Shaw Areva MOX Services to operate a mixed-oxide (MOX)

fuel fabrication facility at the Savannah River Site.

The meeting will be held at the Aiken City Municipal Building, 214 Park Avenue SW, in

Aiken, from 7:30 - 9:30 pm. NRC staff members will be available an hour before the meeting for

informal discussions with members of the public.

During the formal meeting, the staff will discuss its review process for the operating license

application, plans for inspecting the facility and enforcing NRC regulations, and the legal process for

members of the public to request a hearing on the application before a panel of Atomic Safety and

Licensing Board judges. Members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions of the

technical staff.

The MOX facility, which will be owned by the Department of Energys National Nuclear

Security Administration, is part of a bilateral effort between the United States and the Russian

Federation to convert supplies of surplus weapons-grade plutonium into more proliferation-resistant

forms by blending it with uranium. Converting the plutonium into this mixed-oxide fuel will enable it

to be used in commercial reactors to generate electricity. In the United States, only those reactors

authorized by the NRC will be permitted to use MOX fuel.

The NRC issued a construction authorization for the facility March 30, 2005. During that

licensing review, the NRC staff completed an Environmental Impact Statement on the construction and

operation of the proposed facility. That report is available on the NRC Web site at

http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/mox/licensing.html. Information on various public

meetings held regarding the MOX facility is also available there.

A notice of opportunity to request a hearing was published March 15 in the Federal Register.

The deadline for requesting a hearing is May 14. Petitions may be filed by anyone whose interest may

be affected by the facility and who wishes to participate as a party in the proceeding.

A request for hearing and a petition for leave to intervene must be filed with the Secretary of

the Commission, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555-0001, Attention:

Rulemaking and Adjudications Staff. Requests may also be submitted by facsimile to (301) 415-1101

or e-mail to HEARINGDOCKET@nrc.gov. A copy should also be submitted to the NRC Office of

General Counsel, by facsimile to (301) 415-3725 or e-mail to OGCMailCenter@nrc.gov.

Information on the NRCs hearings process is available at this Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/adjudicatory/hearing.html.

News releases are available through a free list serve subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html . The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link.

E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.