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 2004 

 Vol. 4, No. 4

NRC Temporarily Suspends On-Line

Library

On October 25, 2004, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission

(NRC) initiated an additional security review, by agency

experts, of publicly available documents to ensure that

potentially sensitive information is removed from the agency

Web site. During this review, certain documents in 

ADAMS, the NRC's on-line document library, will be

temporarily unavailable to the public. No classified or

safeguards material is now or has ever been permitted on the

NRC Web site. In its latest review, the NRC is widening its

review to remove additional information that could

potentially be of use to a terrorist. This action, when

complete, is intended to ensure that documents which might

provide assistance to terrorists will be inaccessible while

maintaining public access to information regarding NRC

activities.

NRC Reviews Amendment Request: 

Use of MOX Lead Test Assemblies

On April 5, May 5, and July 27, 2004, the NRC staff issued

a safety evaluation and two supplements, respectively,

regarding the Duke Power Company’s application dated

February 27, 2003 to revise the Technical Specifications for

the Catawba Nuclear Station to allow use of four MOX lead

test assemblies (LTAs). On July 14-15, 2004, an Atomic

Safety and Licensing Board (ASLB) held a hearing on a

contention by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense

League regarding the loss-of-coolant-accident analyses for

MOX fuel. In a December 22, 2004, decision, the ASLB

concluded that the four LTAs would not endanger public

health and safety through the irradiation process. The ASLB

is also considering a security related contention.

MOX Project Manager: David D. Brown

Phone: (301) 415-5257

Email: ddb@nrc.gov

Status of the MOX Safety and

Environmental Review

By letter dated December 2, 2004, NRC staff

provided a draft Final Safety Evaluation Report

(FSER) to Duke Cogema Stone & Webster

(DCS) and asked DCS to provide NRC with

comments on the technical accuracy of the draft

FSER. Due to the ongoing reviews of potentially

sensitive information on the NRC ADAMS

document management system (see NRC

Temporarily Suspends On-Line Library), the

draft FSER is not publicly available, but may be

made available pending outcome of the security

review. The draft FSER documents the staff’s

evaluation of the Construction Authorization

Request (CAR, and reflects the staff’s resolution

of the remaining open items from the April 2003

Draft Safety Evaluation Report (DSER). All

previously-open items are now closed. The staff

has also forwarded the draft FSER to the

Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards

(ACRS) in advance of the December 15-16,

2004, meeting with the ACRS Subcommittee on

Reactor Fuels. The purpose of the Subcommittee

meeting was to discuss the staff’s findings, and,

ultimately, to seek endorsement by the ACRS of

the staff’s evaluation.

In addition, the staff is in the process of

completing the Final Environmental Impact

Statement (FEIS), evaluating the potential

environmental consequences of constructing and

operating the proposed mixed oxide fuel

fabrication facility. 

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/fuel-cycle-fac/mox/licensing.html.
Mixed Oxide Xchange - 2 - December 2004

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards

Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards

Mail Stop T-8F42

Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

Lead Editor: Diana Diaz-Toro

Design and Production: Linda C. Marshall

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

your mailing address and indicate your preference to receive copies by U.S. Postal Service.

Support to the Russian Federation on the

Mixed-Oxide Fuel (MOX) Program

On October 11-14, 2004, the NRC staff participated in a

U.S./Russian Federation bilateral meeting at the

headquarters of the Nuclear, Industrial, and

Environmental Regulatory Authority (Rostekhnadzor)

in Moscow, Russia. The purpose of the meeting was to

discuss the status of the surplus weapons-grade

plutonium disposition program. During the meeting,

representatives of Rostekhnadzor briefed the U.S.

representatives (from the Department of

Energy/National Nuclear Security Agency, and the

NRC) on the status of their development of a regulatory

infrastructure for the project and the construction of

their MOX fuel fabrication facility. Also, the NRC

representatives provided an update on the status of

licensing the U.S. facility. 

Export of Plutonium Oxide

In September 2004, the U.S. Department of Energy

(DOE)/National Nuclear Security Administration

(NNSA) informed the NRC that the ships transporting

plutonium oxide powder to France had left Charleston,

South Carolina. The plutonium oxide was transported

to the Cadarache facility in France to manufacture

MOX lead test assemblies. If NRC grants the Duke

Power license amendment requests (see NRC Reviews

Amendment Request: Use of MOX Lead Test

Assemblies), then the lead test assemblies would be

returned to the U.S. for use in Duke Power’s Catawba

Unit 1 reactor near Charlotte, North Carolina.

Meeting Summaries

August 11, 2004

The NRC and DCS staff held a telephone conference

call to discuss the status of the MOX Quality Assurance

(QA) Program. 

August 19, 25 & 30, 2004, and September 2, 2004

The NRC staff held several teleconference calls with

DCS to discuss and request clarification of the

information provided on the June 10, 2004, revised

Construction Authorization Request. The discussions

pertain to chemical process safety, organization and

administration, and Heating Ventilation and Air

Conditioning (HVAC) systems and confinements.

October 22, 2004

The NRC staff met with DCS representatives, in a

closed meeting, to discuss the applicant’s material

control and accounting (MC&A) program.

December 15-16, 2004

The NRC staff met with the Advisory Committee on

Reactor Safeguards (ACRS), Subcommittee on Reactor

Fuels, to discuss the staff’s draft Final Safety

Evaluation Report. 

Upcoming Meetings

February 2005

The NRC staff will meet with the Advisory Committee

on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) to discuss the staff’s

Final Safety Evaluation Report..