NRC’s Mixed Oxide Fuel

Infoweb

To find meeting summaries, updates

related to the proposed MFFF,

frequently asked questions, and past

issues of the Mixed Oxide Xchange. Go

to http://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuelycle-fac/mox/licensing.html.

An NRC quarterly newsletter providing licensing information on a Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility

 Mixed Oxide Xchange

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission NUREG/BR-0284 December 2002 

 Vol. 2, No. 4 

Revised Construction

Authorization Request

On October 31, 2002, NRC received from Duke Cogema

Stone & Webster (DCS) a revised Construction

Authorization Request (CAR) for the proposed Mixed

Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility (MFFF). If the CAR is

approved, the MFFF would be located at the Department

of Energy's (DOE’s) Savannah River Site in South

Carolina.

The revised CAR replaces the original CAR that was

submitted in February 2001, and results from changes to

the DOE’s surplus plutonium disposition program

announced early this year. The revised CAR reflects

new processes which the design of the proposed MFFF

must now incorporate to adequately accommodate the

alternate plutonium feedstock materials which were

formerly to be immobilized. In the revised CAR, DCS

also incorporated information from DCS responses to

NRC requests for additional information provided since

the original CAR was submitted. DCS also provided

additional information in the revised CAR to address

NRC open items identified in the NRC Draft Safety

Evaluation Report (DSER).

NRC Requests

Additional Information

on the Revised

Environmental Report

On October 3, 2002, the NRC submitted to

DCS a request for additional information

(RAI) regarding the revised Environmental

Report (ER) for the proposed MFFF. The

revised ER was submitted to NRC in July

2002, and it was decided that additional

information would be needed to facilitate the

preparation of the draft Environmental

Impact Statement (DEIS) to be issued in

February 2003. 

The RAI contained 66-questions related to

the environmental review of the proposed

MFFF. A majority of the questions focused

on human health, waste management, and

air quality issues. The RAI also questioned

DCS about transportation, socioeconomics,

cost-benefit analysis, cultural and

paleontological resources, geology/water use

and quality, ecology, cumulative impacts,

and land use issues. On 

October 29, 2002, DCS submitted a 221-

page response to the RAI, which the staff is

now reviewing.
Mixed Oxide Xchange - 2 - December 2002

 

ALPHABET SOUP

(commonly used acronyms in this newsletter)

ACRS Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards ER Environmental Report 

CAR Construction Authorization Request MFFF Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility

DCS Duke Cogema Stone & Webster MOX Mixed Oxide Exchange

DOE U.S. Department of Energy NRC U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

DSER Draft Safety Evaluation Report PM Project Manager

EIS Environmental Impact Statement SER Safety Evaluation Report

Upcoming 

Meeting

February 20, 2003 - ACRS Subcommittee

Meeting, which is open to the public.

NRC-DCS Meeting

Summaries

Summaries of recent meetings

with NRC staff regarding the

MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility

are listed below.

November 12, 2002 - NRC

staff and DCS held a meeting

open to the public at the NRC’s

Region II offices in Atlanta,

Georgia, and via teleconference, to discuss plans for the potential construction of the

proposed MFFF. Topics discussed included: site location, site preparation, site specific

issues, temporary

construction facilities, and major construction schedules and milestones.

November 21, 2002 - NRC staff and DCS held a meeting open to the public discuss the

revised CAR. DCS provided a series of tables that identified the extent to which

responses to NRC requests for additional information were incorporated in the revised

CAR. A small portion of the meeting was closed to the public in order to discuss

proprietary information.

December 10-12, 2002 - NRC staff and DCS held a meeting to discuss chemical safety,

fire protection, and electrical/instrumentation and control related to the proposed MFFF. 

The public was invited to observe this meeting.
Mixed Oxide Xchange - 3 - December 2002

Upcoming Draft EIS

The draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

for the proposed MFFF is being prepared by NRC

staff and its contractor, Argonne National

Laboratory. The DEIS is scheduled for issuance in

February 2003 for public comment. The DEIS

will examine the environmental impacts of the

proposed action (construction, operation and

decommissioning of a proposed MFFF) and

alternatives. Various Connected actions, including

the DOE’s proposed Pit Disassembly and

Conversion Facility and the proposed Waste

Solidification Building, will also be evaluated in the

DEIS.

Public Meetings on

Scope of DEIS

On September 17, 18 and 19, 2002, three public

meetings were held to solicit comments on whether

recent changes in the DOE’s surplus plutonium

disposition program have affected the scope of the

NRC’s DEIS for the proposed MFFF. At each

meeting, NRC Staff members made presentations

for about 35 minutes, followed by a comment

period during which those present also asked

questions and voiced their concerns. The three

public meetings were held in North Augusta, SC;

Savannah, GA; and Charlotte, NC, respectively. 

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards

Mail Stop T-8A33

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

 Lead Editor: David D. Brown

 Editor: Sharon A. Steele

 Editor: Tamara Powell

 Design and Production: Linda Gross and Tamara Powell

Mixed Oxide Xchange is published quarterly to highlight recent news and events associated with the NRC’s

licensing of a mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility. We welcome your suggestions for improvement of this

newsletter. If you have comments or suggestions, you may contact us at moxfeedback@nrc.gov. To subscribe

or unsubscribe, please send an e-mail to subscribe@nrc.gov. All issues will be e-mailed unless you provide

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