The independent U.S. nuclear regulator has issued its quarterly report on its inspection of construction activities at the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) report of inspections that took place from the beginning of April through the end of June concluded that no violations or deviations were identified as a result of these inspections.

The scope of these inspections included ongoing construction activities, engineering processes and oversight of subcontractor activities.

“We are committed to constructing the MOX facility safely and in accordance with regulations of the NRC,” said Kelly Trice, president and chief operating officer of Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC, “and the NRC’s report underscores this commitment.”

This dedication to safety and excellence is a key component of the work being done at the MOX Project. Another important accomplishment in safety took place in June when the MOX project surpassed 4 million consecutive work hours without a lost-time accident.

The MOX facility is currently under construction at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C. More than 1,800 people are engaged in the design, construction and administration of the MOX project, which is being constructed for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and is scheduled to begin operation in 2016.

The MOX facility will convert surplus weapons-grade plutonium into reactor fuel for use in commercial nuclear power plants, supporting the Department’s non-proliferation program to eliminate surplus weapons-grade plutonium in the U.S.

Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC, comprised of Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Group and AREVA, works for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration to design, build and operate a facility. For more information, visit www.moxproject.com.

And in case you are curious, the NRC inspection report can be found at: under the document number ML112082293.

Last week, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued its final Safety Evaluation Report for the MOX (mixed oxide) Fuel Fabrication Facility. Currently under construction on the Savannah River Site, the MOX Facility is a Department of Energy program to construct a facility that will convert former nuclear weapons material into nuclear fuel as part of an arms reduction agreement with Russia. This nuclear fuel will be used by commercial reactors and, in doing so, will make the materials unusable for weapons.
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published its draft safety evaluation report on the MOX (mixed oxide) Fuel Fabrication Facility, a project under construction at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

Shaw AREVA MOX Services, a joint venture of the two leading energy companies, is building the $4.86 billion facility which will help support our nation’s nonproliferation goals by converting weapons-grade material into MOX fuel for U.S. nuclear power plants.

While the report does not make a decision about licensing the plant, a decision which is still years away, it does represent the NRC’s preliminary assessment “that the facility would not pose an undue risk to worker and public health and safety.”

Click here for more information on the MOX project.

AREVA is the industry leader in development and implementation of digital Instrumentation and Controls (I&C) systems for existing nuclear power plants as well as new plants being constructed and licensed. We recognize and appreciate the need for a comprehensive and independent review by the regulator, in each country, where our systems are licensed and deployed. Based on AREVA’s worldwide experience, we are flexible and well-prepared to adapt designs and implement solutions to address particular regulatory concerns.

The press release issued today by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is a normal and expected part of the design certification process, and AREVA already has begun addressing the issues raised in the communication. In fact, these issues already have been widely discussed in the media and are old news. We do not expect this issue to have a significant effect on the development of U.S. EPR technology in the United States.

AREVA has already proactively identified design modifications to address many NRC questions, and is conducting work on a priority basis to implement those changes to facilitate timely NRC review in support of the design certification. Initial NRC feedback is positive regarding these proposed changes.

In a very limited set of areas, AREVA has stated its desire to maintain the design for enhanced safety and reliability, but is evaluating recent NRC feedback to determine what additional information could be provided to address NRC questions.

AREVA continues in its commitment to open and transparent communication with NRC and will keep them apprised of our plans and progress, to support a predictable and timely design certification review.

Building new reactors is not the only way to make gains in our energy supply. Updating current energy generation facilities to make them more efficient and reliable also provides a cost-effective way to ensure a dependable, domestic energy supply. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission projects that more than 2,600 megawatts of electric generating capacity at existing nuclear power plants will have been added through efficiency gains alone by 2013.

Recently at Exelon’s Quad Cities nuclear plant in Illinois, AREVA completed this type of update on the facility’s Unit 1 reactor. AREVA successfully installed and commissioned two Siemens Robicon Perfect Harmony Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) systems for reactor recirculation pump speed control. These VFD systems have been proven successful in more than 4,000 installations around the world and are designed to enable more precise reactor recirculation flow control, and reduce in-house load and required maintenance.

AREVA’s Instrumentation & Controls (I&C) and Electrical Systems team directed the equipment, engineering and over-all project management. The Vice President of I&C and Electrical Systems, Carl Fisher, noted how “this is just one example of how we are working with our customers to improve plant reliability and profitability.”

We’ve seen some questions floating around recently – most notably by Idaho Samizdat – about AREVA Enrichment Services’ recent submission for a revision of its license application to the Nuclear Regulation Commission for the possibility to increase facility capacity. As noted yesterday, AES has requested an increase in the future licensed capacity of the Eagle Rock facility from 3.3 million separative work units (SWU) to 6.6 million SWU per year. We’d like to take this chance to explain why we’re doing this.

Quite frankly, our plans have not changed. We still intend to build a 3.3 million SWU facility. As AREVA indicated before, the plant can be expanded if market conditions favor such expansion. The expansion decision will be made in the future based on the conditions at the time. Having said that, however we have higher level of confidence in new reactor construction in the U.S. and other parts of the world, which will contribute to higher demand for enrichment. To be ready for such possibility, and to reduce time and cost for both the NRC and AREVA we decided to apply for a license for a larger facility so in case AREVA decides to expand, it would be able to so without further licensing.

The decision to leave open the possibility of expansion demonstrates our confidence in the revival of the U.S. nuclear energy sector and our commitment to making this revival a reality. We’re seeing a lot of promise in the nuclear market worldwide and we are taking the prudent steps to prepare for it.

Please don’t hesitate to comment if you’ve got any more questions… we’d be glad to answer them! This kind of dialogue is exactly what this blog is designed for.

The NRC has completed its preliminary examination, the acceptance review, of the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility license application and will now begin the formal review process.

On March 12, 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) officially notified AREVA Enrichment Services LLC (AES) that the NRC had completed its acceptance review of the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility License Application. AREVA is very pleased that the NRC found the License Application to be acceptable for formal review. It is early in the Licensing process and AREVA Enrichment Services is working diligently to prepare for the steps ahead.

The NRC will now docket the application and begin its technical review process. The next step will be the NRC’s issuance of an Order, which will offer an opportunity for a hearing, provide a schedule, and address several policy issues related to uranium enrichment facility licensing. The NRC Staff will develop two reports, the Safety Evaluation Report and Environmental Impact Statement, to document the conclusion of its review of the license application. The NRC Staff plans to complete these documents by August 2010.

Throughout the license application process, AREVA Enrichment Services will provide updates regarding the status of the EREF License Application.

“Nuclear energy is an essential part of our energy mix…it provides clean baseload generation of electricity” – Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Wednesday, March 11

Energy Secretary Steven Chu (photo courtesy Obama-Biden Transition Team)

Energy Secretary Steven Chu agreed with assertions from both Democrats and Republicans that nuclear energy should be a continuing part of the U.S. clean energy mix. He said he is prepared to act on the DOE loan guarantees for new reactors and encouraged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to move forward on licensing new plants. He reiterated the Administration’s position published in the budget outline that Yucca Mountain is not a workable solution. However, he also admitted that a long-term used-fuel strategy is the obligation of the federal government and that he will convene a blue ribbon panel to study the issue this year. He added that closing the fuel cycle should be studied as part of that strategy.