Press Release-II-15-002, NRC Schedules Public Meeting to Discuss Mixed Oxide Fuel Project
| ML15008A423 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | 07003098 |
| Issue date: | 01/08/2015 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs Region II |
| To: | |
| Category:Press Release | |
| References | |
| Press Release-II-15-002 | |
| Download: ML15008A423 (1) | |
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No: II-15-002 January 8, 2015 CONTACT: Roger Hannah 404-997-4417 Joey Ledford 404-997-4416 NRC Schedules Public Meeting to Discuss Mixed Oxide Fuel Project The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a public meeting for Jan.15 to provide information regarding the construction of the Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility being built near Aiken, S.C., and changes to the NRC inspection procedures for the facility.
The MOX facility is being constructed at the U.S. Department of Energys Savannah River site near Aiken, S.C. The facility will be owned by the DOEs National Nuclear Security Administration and will convert supplies of surplus weapons-grade plutonium into more proliferation-resistant forms by blending it with natural or depleted uranium. Converting the plutonium into MOX fuel will enable it to be used in commercial reactors to generate electricity.
The NRC issued a construction authorization for the facility in March 2005 and extended the projects construction deadline by an additional 10 years in November 2014. The deadline is now March 30, 2025. The NRC also changed the licensee name on the construction authorization to CB&I AREVA MOX Services to reflect Chicago Bridge & Irons acquisition of the Shaw Group in 2013.
The NRC revised its Inspection Manual Chapter 2630, entitled Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication facility Construction Inspection Program in its entirety on May 9, 2014.
The public meeting on Jan.15 is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. at the Hydrogen Research Center at the Savannah River Research Campus, 301 Gateway Dr., in New Ellenton, S.C. People attending the meeting will not be required to go through Savannah River site security.