No. II-10-001 January 7, 2010 

CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 562-4417 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov

 Joey Ledford (404) 562-4416 

NRC ISSUES CONFIRMATORY ACTION LETTER TO NUCLEAR FUEL SERVICES 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today sent a letter to Nuclear Fuel Services 

detailing the company’s commitments for actions to assure the agency that NFS can safely 

operate the plant. The company has agreed to suspend production at its Erwin, Tenn., facility 

until the items are completed. 

The NRC’s confirmatory action letter is designed to address issues that contributed to 

recent events at the facility, including an Oct. 13 incident being reviewed by an NRC augmented 

inspection team. The letter is being issued to detail and confirm NFS’s agreement to take certain 

actions in response to shortcomings identified by the inspection team. Although NFS can 

continue work in other areas such as construction and transportation, the company has agreed 

that the process lines at the facility will remain out of service until the NRC is satisfied that the 

issues have been addressed. The NRC will verify through further inspections that the items in the 

letter have been successfully completed before production is resumed. 

 The NFS commitments include: 

• Obtaining independent reviews of restart actions as well as company event 

investigation processes 

• Changing the way the company handles materials based on lessons learned from 

the Oct. 13 event 

• Making permanent improvements in the methods for identifying, documenting, 

evaluating and communicating all changes at the facility 

• Re-evaluating certain accident scenarios to ensure the appropriate level of safety 

• Changing the NFS management structure to ensure separation between production 

goals and safety priorities 

 “This letter clearly lays out the NRC’s expectations for both short and long-term actions 

that NFS will take to address the concerns our inspectors have identified,” said NRC Region II 

Administrator Luis Reyes. “We believe suspending operations is appropriate given the current 

situation, and the lines will not restart until NFS meets its commitments.” 

Although a date has not been confirmed, the NRC will schedule a public meeting in 

Erwin in the next few weeks to discuss the preliminary results of the agency’s detailed inspection 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region II 

61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta GA 30303 

Web Site: www.nrc.gov 
after the Oct. 13 event. That incident involved workers using nitric acid to dissolve scrap 

material with small quantities of uranium. It resulted in more heat than expected and the 

generation of nitrogen compound fumes. There were no injuries to employees or environmental 

releases, but the heated fumes damaged some pipes. The NRC inspection is expected to be 

completed soon. 

 Issuance of a confirmatory action letter does not preclude the NRC from taking other 

actions for any violations of NRC requirements that may be identified. 

“We will continue to inspect and review their activities and will not hesitate to take 

additional actions if necessary,” Reyes added. 

A copy of the confirmatory action letter will be available on the NRC Web site at 

www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html using the number ML100070118 or from the 

Region II Office of Public Affairs. 

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