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 September 2003 

 Vol. 3, No.3

Delay in Issuing FEIS and FSER

On June 20, Duke Cogema Stone & Webster (DCS)

submitted Revision 3 of the Environmental Report (ER). 

The new revision included updates to responses to NRC

requests for additional information, previously submitted

corrections to Revisions 1 and 2, and the latest design of

the Department of Energy (DOE) / National Nuclear

Security Administration (NNSA) Waste Solidification

Building (WSB). In ER Revision 3, accident impacts

for the WSB were larger than the estimates in 

Revision 2 of the ER. The NRC’s Draft Environmental

Impact Statement (DEIS) issued in February was based

on the estimates in Revision 2. On July 22, DCS

submitted additional revisions to the accident impacts

for the WSB. During a conference call held on July 28,

NRC, DCS and DOE/NNSA staff determined that the

revised accident impacts contained errors. This

information was revised by DCS and submitted to NRC

as Revision 4 on August 13.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for

the proposed MFFF was originally scheduled to be

issued in August. In order to consider the additional

information provided by DCS, staff delayed issuance of

the FEIS to November 28.

The schedule for issuance of the Final Safety Evaluation

Report (FSER) was also delayed. The staff delayed

issuance of the FSER to consider additional information

provided by DCS on the open items identified in the

April 2003 draft Safety Evaluation Report (DSER). 

The staff plans to issue the FSER on December 5.

Russian Plutonium

Disposition Program

During May 19-30, NRC staff traveled to

Moscow, Russia, for a meeting on the

Russian Plutonium Disposition Program and

for a NRC-Gosatomnadzor workshop on

nuclear criticality safety. From July 21

through August 1, NRC staff returned to

Russia to conduct a workshop on NRC

requirements for electrical systems,

instrumentation and control systems, software

quality control, and human factors. NRC is

currently planning to conduct a workshop in

October 2003 on fire safety and chemical

safety. These meetings are part of the

continuing cooperation between the NRC and

NNSA in providing support to the Russian

Federation Gosatomnadzor.

Advisory Committee on

Reactor Safeguards Meeting

On July 10, NRC staff briefed the Advisory

Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS)

full-committee. The presentation consisted of

a MOX facility and licensing overview,

criticality safety, red oil phenomena, fire

protection, and a summary of open items. 

The ACRS noted at the close of the meeting

that they will not write a letter to the

Commission until after the staff updates the

full committee on the open items.

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 - September 2003

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: Tamara Powell

Design and Production: Linda M. Gross

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.

Meeting Summaries

Summaries of recent meetings with NRC staff

regarding the MOX facility are summarized below.

June 2-4, 2003 - NRC staff met with DCS to discuss

the chemical safety issues related to the DCS

Construction Authorization Request (CAR) for the

Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility. 

June 9-11, 2003 - NRC staff visited Region II

offices, then conducted an in-office review of MOX

construction inspection and procurement planning

and quality assurance program implementation at

DCS offices in Charlotte, NC, and Aiken, SC.

July 21- 23, 2003 - NRC staff made presentations at

a GAN workshop on MOX fuel qualification in

Moscow. 

July 22-23, 2003 - NRC staff met with DCS in

Charlotte, NC, to conduct an in-office review of

DCS resolutions of the HAN/hydrazine open item

(open item CS-2).

July 28 - August 1, 2003 - NRC staff made

presentations on electrical systems, instrumentation

and controls, human factors, and software quality

control at a DOE sponsored GAN workshop.

July 29- August 1, 2003 - NRC staff met with DCS

to discuss the April 2003 DSER open items that

include chemical safety, nuclear criticality, and fire

protection. The meeting resulted in closure of one

of the items (FS-2). 

August 19, 2003 - NRC staff met with Region II

staff and management to discuss MOX project

schedules and activities, GAN support and MOX

design, construction and procurement audits, and

inspections.

August 20-21, 2003 - NRC staff met with DCS in

Charlotte, NC, for an in-office review of the MOX

quality assurance program implementation.

September 11, 2003 - NRC staff met with DCS to

discuss the criticality safety open item in the April

2003 DSER.