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 June 2001 

 Vol. 1, No. 2 

 NRC HOLDS

 PUBLIC SCOPING 

 MEETINGS

On March 7, 2001, the U.S. Nuclear

Regulatory Commission (NRC) published a

Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the

proposed MOX facility. An EIS is a planning

and decision-making tool that evaluates

potential impacts from a proposed project and

alternatives to the proposed project. The

NOI, which was published in the Federal

Register (66 FR 13794), started the scoping

phase of the EIS process. Public scoping

meetings are held to gather information from

the public and stakeholders on significant

issues that should be considered in preparing

the EIS.

(Continued on page 3 - see SCOPING MTGS)

Four Requests

 for Hearings Received

The period to request a hearing on the

proposed MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility

construction application ended on May 18, 2001. 

The NRC received four requests for hearings

(Continued on page 4 - see HEARINGS)

Receipt of the Mixed Oxide Fuel

Fabrication Facility Construction

Authorization Request at NRC

(Beginning at left, NRC staff: Andrew Persinko,

Joseph Giitter, Timothy Harris, and Amy Hoadley.)

MOX APPLICATION 

 ARRIVES AT NRC

Duke Cogema Stone & Webster (DCS) filed its

Construction Authorization Request (CAR)—the

first part of a two-part licensing application—on

February 28, 2001. Next summer DCS plans to file

the second part of its application -- asking the NRC

to authorize operation of the MOX facility. 

Additional documents supporting the application

were filed by DCS in December 2000 (the DCS

Environmental Report and a DCS report, “Choice

of MFFF Process Glovebox Window Material”)

and January 2001 (a revised Quality Assurance

Plan). General information on these items as well

as documentation of the NRC review and proposed

schedules can be found on the agency’s MOX

website at www.nrc.gov/NRC/NMSS/MOX/

index.html. This same information in a searchable

format may be obtained from the agency’s ADAMS

document storage and retrieval system. The MOX

CAR (non-proprietary version) is located in

ADAMS under accession number ML010650204.


Mixed Oxide Xchange - 2 - June 2001

MOX LICENSING

PROCESS

What is an

 Acceptance 

 Review?

When any initial application for

a license or similar approval is

filed with the NRC, an

acceptance review of the filing

is conducted (typically taking 30

days) to determine whether the

filing contains the information

that the NRC requires. If the

filing passes the acceptance

review, then the NRC begins a

detailed technical review of the

filing. This process was

followed for the CAR, and on

March 28, 2001, the NRC sent a

letter to DCS stating that the

CAR had passed the acceptance

review and contained sufficient

information for the staff to begin

a detailed technical review. The

March 28 letter noted that, for

some areas of the CAR,

additional information will be

necessary. The March 28 letter

further stated that during the

course of the detailed technical

review, other areas may be

identified where additional

information is necessary. 

Issuance of the March 28 letter

does not mean that the NRC has

approved the construction or

operation of the proposed MOX

fuel fabrication facility, and

does not mean that the proposed

facility will ultimately be found

to be acceptable.

MOX Fuel Fabrication

On February 28, 2001, DCS— acting as a contractor of the U.S.

Department of Energy (DOE)— filed a Construction Authorization

Request (CAR), asking the NRC to authorize DCS to build a MOX

fuel fabrication facility. The NRC expects to make its decision on

whether to approve the CAR by October 2002.

Next summer, before this decision is made, DCS plans to file a

request asking the NRC to authorize operation of the MOX

facility. NRC’s review of this request is expected to last two

years. If the NRC decides not to approve the CAR in October

2002, further consideration of the DCS request for operating

authority would be suspended. If the NRC approves the CAR,

construction could then begin. During construction of the facility

the NRC will make sure that the MOX facility is properly

constructed. Only then, if this and all other 10 CFR Part 70

requirements have been met, would DCS be authorized to operate

the MOX facility. In this event, DCS would become an NRC

licensee.

MOX Use in Reactors

In parallel with the licensing process for the MOX facility, Duke

Power is expected to file requests to burn MOX fuel in the

McGuire and Catawba plants. Duke Power’s existing licenses

must be amended before MOX fuel may be used. The first

application, scheduled for submittal sometime after August 2001,

will request NRC approval to place “lead test assemblies” in one of

the four reactors. These initial MOX assemblies will be used to

confirm the expected performance of MOX fuel in the reactors. 

DCS has not yet identified who will manufacture the lead test

assemblies. If the NRC approves placement of the lead test

assemblies in a reactor, Duke Power’s current plans are to submit

in 2004 an application to use MOX fuel in up to approximately 40

percent of the core at each of the reactors at Catawba and

McGuire.

After Duke Power files the requests for license amendments,

interested members of the public will have the opportunity to

request that the NRC hold hearings on the license amendment

applications.
Mixed Oxide Xchange - 3 - June 2001

SCOPING MTGS (continued from page 1)

NRC held three planned scoping meetings on April 17

in North Augusta, South Carolina, on April 18 

in Savannah, Georgia, and on May 8, 2001, in 

Charlotte, North Carolina. An informal, “open house”

information exchange was held before each meeting.

The North Augusta meeting was attended by

approximately 100 people including elected 

representatives from South Carolina and

Georgia, local government officials, residents, and

those representing environmental organizations. 

The Savannah meeting was attended by

approximately 50 people, and the Charlotte meeting

was attended by approximately 120 people. NRC

staff made presentations on NRC’s role in the 

proposed project and the EIS process. We received

detailed scoping comments on a wide variety of

issues including environmental justice, socioeconomic impacts, reactor use considerations, waste

management, groundwater, decommissioning, human

health, and transportation. In addition, issues relative

to how responsibilities of the Department of Energy differ from those of the NRC were raised. We also

received comments on alternatives that should be considered. These included considering impacts from

immobilization of all the surplus plutonium in context of the no action alternative, and consideration of

impacts from associated actions such as the Russian surplus plutonium disposition program. The

scoping meetings were transcribed, and a copy of the transcripts are available on the NRC MOX

InfoWeb and in ADAMS.

In addition to accepting comments at the public scoping meetings, the NRC also accepted written

comments on the scoping process until May 21, 2001. Written comments were to have been addressed to

Mike Lesar, Chief, Rules and Directives Branch, Division of Administrative Services, Office of

Administration, Mail Stop T-6D59, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. 20555. 

Interested parties were also encouraged to e-mail comments to teh@nrc.gov, or fax them to (301) 415-

5398, Attention: Tim Harris. Scoping comments received after May 21 will be considered to the extent

practical, but may not be included in the Scoping Summary Report.

NRC plans to issue the Scoping Summary Report in July 2001. This report will summarize the

comments and issues raised, discuss alternatives to be evaluated, present a preliminary schedule for

preparing the EIS, and provide an outline of the draft EIS. A copy of the Scoping Summary Report will

be mailed to participants who provided comments or attended the scoping meetings. A copy will also be

posted on the NRC MOX InfoWeb. 

YOU WILL FIND NRC’S MOX WEBSITE AT:

 www.nrc.gov/NRC/NMSS/MOX/index.html.
Mixed Oxide Xchange - 4 - June 2001

Hearing

Procedures

In a letter dated March 20, 2001,

NRC Chairman Meserve responded

to Mr. Brett Bursey, Director of the

South Carolina Progressive

Network, regarding the type of

hearing procedures that will be

used for licensing the MOX

facility. In his letter, Chairman

Meserve explained that procedures

set forth in Title 10 of the Code of

Federal Regulations, Part 2,

Subpart L are “generally applicable

to the adjudication of matters

related to the issuance of 10 CFR

Part 70 licenses.” The Chairman’s

response continues that while any

hearing on the proposed MOX

facility would thus be a Subpart L

hearing, the Commission has

decided to require the filing of

contentions, and provide for limited

discovery with the option for later

oral questioning of expert

witnesses by the Presiding Officer.

More details in this regard are

provided in the Notice of

Opportunity for Hearing that was

published in the Federal Register

on April 18, 2001 (66 FR 19994). 

The deadline for submitting

requests for a hearing was May 18,

2001.

Meeting Summaries

Listed below are abbreviated summaries of past meetings with

NRC staff regarding MOX since the last newsletter was issue

on March 1, 2001. All meetings, except those dealing with

safeguards and security matters, were open to the public. For

complete summaries, please visit the MOX website at

http://www.nrc.gov/NRC/NMSS/MOX/index.html.

March 21, 2001 - Representatives of Packaging

Technology, Inc. and the NRC discussed the design of a new

package for the transport of fresh fuel assemblies that contain

mixed oxide fuel.

April 17-18, 2001 - The NRC participated in public scoping

meetings that allowed members of the public to express their

opinion and provide information and comments that assist the

agency in its environmental evaluation of the proposed MFFF

near Aiken, South Carolina. The meetings were held in North

Augusta, South Carolina, and in Savannah, Georgia.

April 25, 2001 - DCS and NRC discussed project status,

project schedules, and technical information related to the

construction authorization application for the MOX fuel

fabrication facility.

May 8, 2001 - The NRC participated in

another public scoping meeting associated with

the preparation of the Environmental Impact

Statement for the proposed MFFF near Aiken,

South Carolina. The meeting was held in

Charlotte, North Carolina. 

HEARINGS (Continued from page 1)

from the following three groups and one individual: The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League;

Environmentalists, Inc.; Georgians Against Nuclear Energy; and Ms. Edna Foster. Please refer to the

NRC’s ADAMS system or the MOX website (see “Environmental Review”) for more information on

these requests. 
Mixed Oxide Xchange - 5 - June 2001

A L P H A B E T S O U P

 Commonly Used Acronyms in this Newsletter

 CAR Construction Authorization Request

 DCS Duke Cogema Stone & Webster

 DOE U.S. Department of Energy

 EIS Environmental Impact Statement

 MFFF Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility 

 MOX Mixed Oxide (uranium-plutonium fuel for nuclear reactors)

 NOI Notice of Intent

 NRC U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

     

Plutonium Properties

& Protection Measures

In our first issue of Mixed Oxide Xchange, we

provided a brief overview of surplus plutonium

and its origin. The purpose of this article is to

present a brief overview of the properties of

plutonium (using common everyday terms) and

to describe the basic measures that are used to

protect people and the environment from its

hazards.

Plutonium is radioactive. In just 1 gram of

surplus plutonium, which is about the weight of

a paper clip, billions of atoms release some of

their stored energy in the form of radiation

every second. The ability to release stored

energy makes surplus plutonium radioactive, but

it is also what makes surplus plutonium useful.

The bulk of the radiation released by plutonium

is alpha radiation. Alpha radiation cannot

penetrate matter very deeply. A piece of paper

or even the outer layer of skin will stop it. But,

if plutonium is inhaled or finds another way into

the human body the alpha radiation can strike

and damage living tissue. This is why

confinement is such an important design feature

in the proposed MOX facility and why the NRC

will ensure that there are many layers of

confinement. For example, in some areas DCS

proposes that the plutonium will be stored inside

closed containers inside sealed gloveboxes,

which, in turn, will be inside closed rooms of

buildings with high-performance ventilation

systems that filter and remove plutonium to

keep it from reaching the environment or other

work spaces.

Another matter that must be considered is that

when alpha radiation is absorbed by the wrong

material, it can be transformed to much more

penetrating gamma or neutron radiation. The

NRC will ensure that the surplus plutonium is

handled and stored safely to prevent contact or

mixture with these materials.

The natural radioactive decay process changes

the surplus plutonium. New materials, such as

americium-241, are constantly emerging. While

americium-241 releases alpha radiation like

plutonium, it also releases x-ray radiation. Xray radiation requires controls to protect

workers, such as shielding and limits placed on

the amount of time spent in areas where it is

present. Also, since the americium-241

generated by the MOX fuel manufacturing

process is waste, the NRC will ensure that it can

be stored and disposed of safely.

Plutonium and radiation dose. How many

grams of surplus plutonium oxide would a

worker have to inhale to receive the NRC’s

(Continued on page 6 - see PLUTONIUM)
Mixed Oxide Xchange - 6 - June 2001

PLUTONIUM (continued from page 5)

 radiation dose limit for workers of 5 rem per

year (as required in 10 CFR Part 20)? The

answer is about 1/10,000,000th of a gram. This

is a very small amount. Remember the paper

clip example above? This is why it is very

important for the NRC to ensure that, if the

MOX facility is licensed to operate, the

plutonium is confined in such a way that it

cannot reach people and the environment.

Plutonium is fissile. Plutonium atoms can split

or fission. This reaction releases much more

radiation energy than the process of radioactive

decay described above. This reaction is the

reason that plutonium is both exploited in

nuclear weapons and useful as nuclear fuel for

power reactors. If plutonium is not handled

properly, the danger exists that it could begin to

rapidly and uncontrollably fission. Because the

intense radiation from an uncontrolled fission

process could be lethal to anyone standing 

nearby, the NRC will require stringent controls

to prevent a fission accident. For example, DCS

will be required to use tanks and piping

designed specifically to prevent a fission

accident from occurring.

Plutonium is reactive. The chemistry of both

solid and liquid plutonium compounds is

complex. However, the chemical processes

involved in the proposed MOX facility are well

understood and have been used safely for many

years. These processes include dissolving the

plutonium dioxide, removing impurities while it

is in the liquid form, and then re-forming the

plutonium dioxide for fabrication into fuel

pellets. Other chemical forms involved in the

process include plutonium nitrate and plutonium

oxalate, which have been used for over fifty

years. The NRC will ensure that DCS takes

industry experience with this process into

consideration in designing a MOX facility that

is safe for workers and the public.

     

 U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Mailing Address

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards

Attn: Mr. David D. Brown, CHP

Mail Stop T-8A33

Washington, D.C. 20555

Public Document Room

11555 Rockville Pike 

Room #O-1F21 

Rockville, Maryland 20852

Toll Free Telephone: 1- 800- 397- 4209

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

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