ML19290C831

Request Notice of Any Developments Re Use of Mixed Oxide Fuel in Lwrs.Forwards Inside NRC 791203 Article Re Possible Use of Mixed Oxide Fuel at Facility

ML19290C831
Person / Time
Site:	Ginna
Issue date:	12/17/1979
From:	Cochran T National Resources Defense Council
To:	Ahearne J NRC COMMISSION (OCM)
References
NUDOCS 8002130577
Download: ML19290C831 (2)

Text

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):7:ers ?.Da;7sn s .".s i tF*. Sn  ::: g;g so49 juo .u muu December 17, 1979 Ts.: r C k.=rr-:a n Micha el '.!d e s cah II.C'l'n' O ._Dce Tre Cesarr~en 25 K E A2NY start;

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M r- c. .:Auca ex ces Lc u I. 5.: .ier R :1 e-. O. 3:xie Frede-ici. A. Coui=2. J r.

Rcber. W. Crai; Joan K Dasicbon Act sa W.DeWind .

Dr. Re ne J. Lute Ec&r. W. Cilm ewe La d r j a clin. D.A.E. -

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H =m== Kc== John F. Ahearne Dr. j es u t:a l.ed erber;- .

ym s. :cac,ac . Jr. Acting Chairman 1ct: 5. on-$ U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Cc cr.ission O.a..

re o . .dy. .. e Washington, D.C. 20555 Dr. Cife-d L. Picchst yR._.._.

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Dear Cos:

missioner Ahearne:

5N$e7.5bour.jr. ~ Please keep me advised in a timely manner of any J cteu:x2.- develon=ents

$'.$1*mi, LWRs ('.c., ~ related to use of mixed oxide fuel in e see enclosu: e) .

• !a: .a A. Troye-

w- .:e m-:: narar. If, as the enclosed article suggests, RG&E's

. . n nar ..w...e i c.... . . . . .u2 = > cr:marv interest :.s to c,:. soase or existinc =:.xec c:=. ..ce

-fuel rods by using them in the Ginna plant to avoic n ,._:.,o,<ta-security regulations, or because Westinghouse wants to c_et them out of storage, it would be unlawful sintiv. -

to call this " testing," or R&D, and avoid the current legal restrictions on the cor ercial use of MO7..

Sincerely, Thomas B. Cochran enclosure 3 O D E.10 " 677

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inm:- :nd 2. fuel rem. M =d d::enumin::::n of re::::::oize. On :n: ==nd c:.me. V '

_m: said :w i, w- -: : : :enti- .em : :n :.y r.;f ::!:r n .....x.<,.,.. . ..... .. - . ... . . . 3 = : e x= _,_ ,  ;.

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said. Tn: pr:dic: ion is d:: s=.d! debns u ' be taken ou: G:::, us:rg a s::Op c7:aum dana "yet to b: l:1 .

designed."Idedly, a staffer said,it would be , afitble to ge: a look :: th- ..::or witbout taking the head . H off. Vollm:r said if th fu:1 was found to be solici. d and h:d to be ' s 3:m':y pri:d :psrt from core com.

pon:nts,this would add time. "If the debris can be pt.. d up" D ould b: e sier,he said.

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gC NRC~S LICENSING PAUSE WILL COST CONSUMERS S3" a LL1 TO S102.MILLION A MONTH in reph::- @

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men: power costs,according to a u:!!ity survey r .nt!y completec c e A:c mi Industiz! Foru=. The es:i.

mate is ' cased on forec s: corntnercid :ni' . :y of seven nuclear um:s ica were expected to have received T

ope = ting licenses by Jun:,1930. An . cffi:id edied the dollar amoun:s ,2rv:tive."

7:

"Sev-n large nudear pow- ..ctors.represendng 7,300 Mw of c ps:ity an , investme=t of nearly 55 -

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billion, could be resdy to . .rzte by next June but probably won't be=use of the lic:. 'ng freeze," AIF said b in z news release.If a" ..e repizeement electrici:y came from oil-fired gen::::fon,di AIF - *ed,6: U.S.

I would consume sr: than 200.000 additional bart:Is of oil daily.The s:ven res: tors affected by 'e li:e=irt.

fre:ze at: P ..m-2 (Public Service Electric & Gas),Sequoyah.! (Tennessee Wiley Ausority), North ,. ta.2 E (Vir '-1 c.ectric & Power), Diablo Canyon.1 (Ps:ift: Gn & Electri:), M:Guire.1 (Duke Power), b cG:.. M

, .,mmonwe:lth Edison), and Zimmer.1 (Cincinnati Gas & E!:cri:).

U*

RGStE THINKING OF MIXED-OXIDE FUEL FOR GINNA: CONSULTING NRC s..-

Insertion of mixed oxide (uranium-plutonium) fuel elem:nts in the Ginns nud ar plant is being ec.n. N sid: red by Rochester G:s & El::tric for the nex: refuelin;,in M:::h 1950. This is only one of severd pos. [.

sibilities being wei.ched b.v the utility fer use of the Wes:in; house.fabriested fuel, which has been in s:c=2e .

since 1974. i; RG&E made a presentadon to the NRC s:sff en Nov. I :nd hs: week :2!ked to Harold Den:on.nud: : &

ren:or reguhtion chief,:bcut the id::. The uti!!:y h:s nc: nrie a propes:1 to NRC. One NRC suffer stid E s . . . .

th::e were tec..mcs., spe: Ins:s at the h.ov. I m::n.ng . 2n.g we 1:en:'aec no ter.nm:::. problems. it there are

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any oder problems it is up to them [the t.tili;y] to Snd ou:: bout ine

• N.

Denton told Insid: NRC 5:: 1: RG ^r N "does raise lep! and poli:y cpes: ions th:: I haven't given C-mu:h thought :o." However, he added, this is nc: n --*y a cuesden for :he commissioners. He stressed F

that RG&E hn not made :ny submitt:1 bu: has jus: bro :hed the idu cf using mixedexide fuel"'Dicy wil! @

prob:bly r=ke : submi::d =d s:: where we go frem here " he said.

Denton s:id he wants to rev::w the comm:ssi:n's De: mber 19-~ policy de:i:i::n on ending the_Gesmo

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f.i pro::eding (generic endren: ent:1 suteme on me use cf mi.xed oxide f2:1s) before g:: tin; b=k to de i --

c:ili:y, probably this we:k. G:: no was termin:ed :s resu:t of the Cu::: Admin =. tion p:li y to inde.

fiStely cefer reprocestin: , =d Carter's specif" ~7*s: th : the ero:ee:ing be ter=:nated.

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E An RCLE official stessed that there is nothint. firm sbout use of the mixedexide fuel. "We real!.v don't  ;~

know ye:. We 2: ! coking n urious attematives. Th:re ::e di kinds of !ternauves. Car problem is in we I.

have had this materid around sia:: 1974," he nid, adding that it was f:bri::ted b-fore the Gesmo-termin:tien i..

decision was taken.

[.4 Westinghouse is now urging the ut!!!ty to remove the fuel from i:s s:or ge f::iii:ies because of new NRC secun:y reguhtions,the u:ill:y suffer s:id.He cd:ied th :::::oithe mixed. oxide fuelin Ginn: would be for , ?

I res::::h :n:i cemonstr: tion not rn:nt:oned in the C:-:e A minis:=.:= t=. Anc zn NRC s:sfier confirm:d:  :..

..e..s long as it is not promodnt :,u:enium reeveie there is no attemp: :c . :s on=;: to: tesung c: rmxed oxide rocs. t n:s is not linked to piu:cnium recy ,:.,, .

NRC STAFF URGES POINT BEACH SE REOPENED FOR c0-D AY TEST -

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.-nu on % e:nesw. to he:r su. " recummend: nuns Of:er wh::h :nc - *s:.uners pve inen .

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