In letters dated June 8 and July 19, 2018, Interim Storage Partners LLC submitted an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) requesting a site-specific license in accordance with Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Part 72.
NRC has hereby issued the license. To read the full letter, click here.
Category: Licenses
NRC Finalizes Guidance for Subsequent License Renewals
On July 11, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) published guidance documents for both submitting and reviewing applications to renew operating licenses of plants that have already renewed their licenses, a process referred to as subsequent license renewal.
Overview The newly released guidance documents include the Generic Aging Lessons Learned for Subsequent License Renewal Report and the Standard Review Plan for Review of Subsequent License Renewal Applications for Nuclear Power Plants. The aging lessons learned report outlines an acceptable approach for applicants to demonstrate adequate management of plant aging effects. The standard review plan guides the NRC staff on performing safety reviews of these applications.
Next Steps The NRC staff plans to publish two more documents before the end of 2017. These additional documents lay out the technical bases for changes to the guidance documents and the staff’s response to public comments received during the public comment period.
Background The NRC developed these guidance documents over several years in preparation for reviewing subsequent license renewal applications. NRC staff held more than 25 public meetings to gather stakeholders’ perspectives. The guidance documents also include significant input from the License Renewal Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS), as well as from the full committee.
Guidance documents are available at the Guidance for License Renewal and Subsequent License Renewal page on the NRC website.
For additional information, please contact Scott Burnell of the NRC at (301) 415-8200.
District Court Prohibits Proposed Acquisition of Waste Control Specialists by EnergySolutions
On June 21, 2017, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware issued a Judgment and Order in a civil antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the proposed $367 million acquisition of Waste Control Specialists LLC by EnergySolutions. The United States of America is the plaintiff in the case. The listed defendants include EnergySolutions, Inc.; Rockwell Holdco, Inc.; Andrews County Holdings, Inc.; and, Waste Control Specialists LLC.
In its order, the district court entered judgment in favor of the plaintiffs and against the defendants, specifically enjoining and restraining the defendants “from carrying out the acquisition of Waste Control Specialists LLC by EnergySolutions, Inc. as memorialized in the merger agreement between Rockwell Holdco, Inc. and Andrews County Holding, Inc. dated November 18, 2015 and any amendments thereto.”
The case—which is listed as United States of America v. EnergySolutions, Inc.; Rockwell Holdco, Inc.; Andrews Country Holdings, Inc.; and, Waste Control Specialists—can be found under civil docket number 16-1056-SLR in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.
Proposed Acquisition On November 19, 2015, in separate press releases, it was announced that Rockwell Holdco had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Waste Control Specialists—a wholly owned subsidiary of Valhi, Inc. and operator of a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility located in Andrews County, Texas. Rockwell Holdco is the parent company of EnergySolutions—which operates low-level radioactive waste disposal facilities in Tooele County, Utah and Barnwell, South Carolina. Rockwell Holdco is owned by Energy Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on investing in North America’s energy infrastructure. According to the companies’ press releases, upon closing, Rockwell Holdco would pay $270 million in cash and $20 million face amount in Series A Preferred Stock. In addition, Rockwell Holdco would assume approximately $77 million of Waste Control Specialists’ debt, as well as all financial assurance obligations related to the Waste Control Specialists’ business.
Antitrust Lawsuit On November 16, 2016, the DOJ filed a civil antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware seeking to block the proposed $367 million acquisition of Waste Control Specialists by EnergySolutions. DOJ argued that the proposed transaction “would combine the two most significant competitors for the disposal of low level radioactive waste … available to commercial customers in 36 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.” DOJ asserted that the proposed transaction “would deny commercial generators of … [low-level radioactive waste] —from universities and hospitals working on life-saving treatments to nuclear facilities producing 20 percent of the electricity in the United States—the benefits of vigorous competition that has led to significantly lower prices, better service and innovation in recent years.”
Low-Level Radioactive Waste Low-level radioactive waste is the radioactive byproduct of nuclear power generation, scientific research and certain medical treatments. Low-level radioactive waste includes such items as personal protective clothing, tools, water purification filters and resins, hardware from nuclear power plants, and equipment from medical and research institutions. Low-level radioactive waste may only be disposed of in a facility licensed by, or pursuant to an exemption provided by, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or a state acting under an agreement with the NRC. Low-level radioactive waste disposal is an essential service for operating nuclear reactors, research laboratories and medical facilities. Additionally, low-level radioactive waste disposal is a requirement for the safe decommissioning of such facilities when they reach the end of their useful lives.
For additional information about EnergySolutions, please contact Dan Shrum at (801) 649-2000 or at dshrum@energysolutions.com or go to the company’s web site at www.energysolutions.com. For additional information about Waste Control Specialists, please contact Rodney Baltzer at (972) 450-4235 or at rbaltzer@valhi.net or visit the company’s web site at www.valhi.net.
NRC Issues New Reactor License for North Anna Site
On May 31, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced that the agency had authorized the issuance of a Combined License for Dominion Virginia Power’s North Anna site in Virginia. The license grants Dominion permission to build and operate an Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBW) design at the site, which is located near Mineral, Virginia.
Overview The Commission authorized the agency’s Office of New Reactors to issue the license following a hearing on March 23, 2017. In so doing, the Commission found the staff’s review of Dominion’s application to be adequate to make the necessary regulatory safety and environmental findings. NRC issued the license in early June 2017.
The license contains certain specified conditions including:
- specific actions associated with the agency’s post-Fukushima requirements for Mitigation Strategies and Spent Fuel Pool Instrumentation; and,
- a pre-startup schedule for post-Fukushima aspects of the new reactor’s emergency preparedness plans and procedures.
Background On November 26, 2007, Dominion submitted the North Anna application to NRC for an ESBWR adjacent to the company’s two existing reactors. The NRC certified the 1,600-megawatt ESBWR design following a Commission vote in September 2014.
The NRC’s Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) independently reviewed aspects of the application that concern safety, as well as the staff’s final safety evaluation report. On November 15, 2016, the committee provided the results of its review to the Commission. In February 2010, the NRC completed its environmental review and published the final impact statement for the proposed reactor.
For additional information, please contact of the NRC at (301) 415-8200. Additional information on the ESBWR certification process is available on the NRC website at www.nrc.gov.
WCS Places Spent Fuel Storage Application on Hold
By letter dated mid-April 2017, Waste Control Specialists (WCS) asked the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to temporarily suspend the agency’s review of its application to construct and operate a spent nuclear fuel Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF) in Andrews County, Texas.
WSC “is faced with a magnitude of financial burdens that currently make pursuit of licensing unsupportable,” Rod Baltzer, the company’s President and CEO, said in a letter to the NRC dated April 16, 2017. According to Baltzer, the estimated $7.5 million that is needed to continue the licensing process was a significant factor in WCS’ decision. The following day, NRC announced that it would freeze the review.
The request comes as EnergySolutions is trying to buy WCS, although the U.S. Department of Justice has sued to block the merger, arguing it would essentially create a monopoly on radioactive waste disposal. “WCS expects to go forward with this project at the earliest possible opportunity after completion of the sale,” Baltzer said in a statement.
In the meantime, on March 16, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced that the agency was providing additional opportunities for the public to comment on the CISF application that was submitted by WCS.
Background
On April 28, 2016, WCS filed an application seeking a 40-year license for a CISF to receive spent fuel from nuclear reactors for storage, pending final disposal. (See LLW Notes, May/June 2016, pp. 16-17.) Specifically, WCS is requesting authorization to construct and operate a CISF at the company’s 60.3 square kilometer (14,900 acre) site in western Andrews County, Texas. On this site, WCS currently operates facilities that process and store certain types of radioactive material—mainly low-level radioactive waste and mixed waste. The facility also disposes of hazardous and toxic waste.
According to the application, WCS plans to construct the CISF in eight phases. Phase one of the CISF would be designed to provide storage for up to 5,000 metric tons uranium (MTU) of spent nuclear fuel received from commercial nuclear power reactors across the United States. WCS proposes that small amounts of mixed oxide spent fuels and Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive wastes also be stored at the CISF. WCS stated that it would design each subsequent phase of the CISF to store up to an additional 5,000 MTU. A total of up to 40,000 MTU would be stored at the site by the completion of the final phase. Each phase would require NRC review and approval.
WCS would receive canisters containing spent nuclear fuel from the reactor sites. Once accepted at the site, WCS would transfer them into onsite dry cask storage systems. WCS plans to employ dry cask storage system technology that has been licensed by the NRC pursuant to 10 CFR Part 72 at various commercial nuclear reactors across the country. According to WCS, the dry cask storage systems proposed for use at the CISF would be passive systems (i.e., not relying on any moving parts) and would provide physical protection, containment, nuclear criticality controls and radiation shielding required for the safe storage of the spent nuclear fuel. WCS also states that the dry cask storage systems would be located on top of the concrete pads constructed at the CISF.
For additional information, please contact Maureen Conley of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at (301) 415-8200.
NRC to Review WCS Application re Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility
On January 26, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that the agency has docketed and accepted for formal review an application from Waste Control Specialists (WCS) to build and operate a spent nuclear fuel Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF) in Andrews, Texas. The NRC’s decision follows an acceptance review to determine whether the application contains sufficient information for the agency to begin its formal review.
WCS is seeking to store 5,000 metric tons uranium of spent fuel received from commercial nuclear power reactors across the United States.
Overview
NRC’s review will proceed on two parallel tracks—one on safety issues and the other on environmental issues. Both the safety and environmental reviews must be completed before the NRC makes a final licensing decision on the application.
In a letter to WCS dated January 26, 2017, the NRC set a schedule for its safety and environmental reviews. The schedule sets a target of making a licensing decision by the third quarter of fiscal year 2019—assuming that WCS provides high-quality responses, on schedule, to any NRC requests for additional information.
Interested stakeholders will have 60 days from publication of a notice of docketing in the Federal Register, which will appear shortly, to submit requests for a hearing and petition to intervene in the licensing proceeding for the proposed facility. Details on how to submit those requests and petitions will be in the Federal Register notice.
The NRC’s letter to WCS is available on the agency’s website at https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1701/ML17018A168.pdf.
Public Meetings
The NRC will hold the following two public meetings near the site of the proposed CISF to take public comments on the scope of the environmental review:
- Hobbs, New Mexico: Lea County Event Center (5101 N. Lovington Highway) from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. MT on February 13, 2017
- Andrews, Texas: James Roberts Center (855 TX-176) from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. CT on February 15, 2017
Stakeholders that are interested in attending or speaking are encouraged to pre-register by calling (301) 415- 6957 no later than three days prior to the scheduled meetings. The public may also register in person at each meeting. The time allowed for each speaker may be limited, depending on the number of registered speakers.
The NRC is also planning to hold additional scoping meetings at the agency’s headquarters in Rockville, Maryland during the week following the local meetings. Details for these meetings are still being finalized.
Information about the public meetings will be posted to the NRC public meetings schedule on the agency’s website at www.nrc.gov.
Submitting Comments
Interested stakeholders can submit comments on the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the CISF as follows:
- Federal Rulemaking Website: Electronic provide comments at regulations.gov
- Mail: Send comments to Cindy Bladey, Office of Administration, Mail Stop: OWFN-12 H08, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555-0001
Written comments should refer to Docket ID NRC-2016-0231. The NRC will accept public comments through March 13, 2017.
Background
On April 28, 2016, WCS filed an application seeking a 40-year license for a CISF to receive spent fuel from nuclear reactors for storage, pending final disposal. (See LLW Notes, May/June 2016, pp. 16-17.) Specifically, WCS is requesting authorization to construct and operate a CISF at the company’s 60.3 square kilometer (14,900 acre) site in western Andrews County, Texas. On this site, WCS currently operates facilities that process and store certain types of radioactive material—mainly low-level radioactive waste and mixed waste. The facility also disposes of hazardous and toxic waste.
According to the application, WCS plans to construct the CISF in eight phases. Phase one of the CISF would be designed to provide storage for up to 5,000 metric tons uranium (MTU) of spent nuclear fuel received from commercial nuclear power reactors across the United States. WCS proposes that small amounts of mixed oxide spent fuels and Greater-Than-Class C (GTCC) low-level radioactive wastes also be stored at the CISF. WCS stated that it would design each subsequent phase of the CISF to store up to an additional 5,000 MTU. A total of up to 40,000 MTU would be stored at the site by the completion of the final phase. Each phase would require NRC review and approval.
WCS would receive canisters containing spent nuclear fuel from the reactor sites. Once accepted at the site, WCS would transfer them into onsite dry cask storage systems. WCS plans to employ dry cask storage system technology that has been licensed by the NRC pursuant to 10 CFR Part 72 at various commercial nuclear reactors across the country. According to WCS, the dry cask storage systems proposed for use at the CISF would be passive systems (i.e., not relying on any moving parts) and would provide physical protection, containment, nuclear criticality controls and radiation shielding required for the safe storage of the spent nuclear fuel. WCS also states that the dry cask storage systems would be located on top of the concrete pads constructed at the CISF.
For additional information, please contact Maureen Conley of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at (301) 415-8200.
GAO Releases Report re Security of Sealed Sources
On July 15, 2016, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released GAO-16-330 titled, “Nuclear Security: NRC Has Enhanced the Controls of Dangerous Radioactive Materials, but Vulnerabilities Remain.” The report examines
- the steps that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the 37 states it permits to grant licenses for radioactive materials—called Agreement States—have taken to ensure that radioactive materials licenses are granted only to legitimate organizations and licensees can obtain materials only in quantities allowed by their licenses; and,
- the results of covert vulnerability testing designed to test the effectiveness of these controls.
In the report, GAO concludes that NRC and Agreement States have taken several steps to help ensure that radioactive materials licenses are granted only to legitimate organizations and that licensees can only obtain such materials in quantities allowed by their licenses.
However, GAO also determined that NRC and Agreement States have not taken some measures for better controlling Category 3 quantities of radioactive material—such as tracking and agency license verification—that leave vulnerabilities.
GAO-16-330 was prepared in response to a request from the Committee on Homeland Security of the U.S. House of Representatives.
GAO-16-330 can be obtained online at www.gao.gov/assets/680/678170.pdf. For additional information, please contact David Trimble at (202) 512-3841 or at trimbled@gao.gov.
License Transfer Approved for La Crosse Nuclear Plant
On May 24, 2016, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced that the agency has approved the transfer of the license for the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor from the Dairyland Power Cooperative to LaCrosseSolutions.
The La Crosse plant—which is located in Genoa, Wisconsin—has been shut down since 1987. At that time, the NRC modified the original operating license to a possession-only license for the purpose of storage of nuclear materials and waste and decommissioning activities.
On October 8, 2015, Dairyland submitted an application to the NRC requesting transfer of the license to LaCrosseSolutions, which is a subsidiary of EnergySolutions. The license transfer would allow LaCrosseSolutions to expedite decommissioning activities on the site.
Under the terms of the transfer, Dairyland will remain the owner of the site and retain title to and responsibility for the spent nuclear fuel, which is currently stored in dry casks on the site. LaCrosseSolutions will lease the above-ground structures (other than the spent fuel storage site) and assume responsibility for decommissioning under NRC requirements.
EnergySolutions entered into a similar arrangement as that being done for the La Crosse nuclear power plant when it began to decommission the shuttered Zion nuclear power plant in Illinois in 2010.
The NRC’s order approving the transfer and its safety evaluation of the transfer are available in the NRC’s ADAMS document database at ML16123A049.
For additional information, please contact Maureen Conley of the NRC at (301) 415-8200.
WCS Files License Application to Operate a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility for Used Nuclear Fuel
On April 28, 2016, Waste Control Specialists LLC (WCS) announced that it has submitted an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a license to construct and operate a Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF) for used nuclear fuel. “The application is being led by WCS,” states the company’s press release, “along with its partners AREVA and NAC International, both global industry leaders in the transportation and storage of used nuclear fuel.”
WCS submitted the application after a year of pre-application meetings with NRC and in accordance with a timeline that the company outlined in February 2015. According to WCS, a CISF could be completed as early as 2021.
Overview
The WCS application proposes an initial 40-year storage license for 40,000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) to be built in eight phases. Each of the eight storage systems would be able to accommodate 5,000 MTHM for an eventual capacity of 40,000 MTHM. The proposal includes opportunities for 20-year renewals after the initial license period.
According to WCS, Phase 1 of the CISF will require approximately 155 acres, plus an additional 12 acres for administrative and parking facilities. The entire site through Phase 8 will require approximately 332 acres, which WCS notes is less than 2.5 percent of the company’s site-wide acreage.
As proposed, the primary operations performed at the WCS site would be transferring the sealed canisters of used fuel from a transportation cask into an engineered interim fuel storage system, where it would be monitored until its departure to an offsite permanent disposal location.
“Consolidated interim storage would provide system-wide benefits and flexibilities to strengthen the U.S. Used Nuclear Fuel Management Program and help advance a permanent geologic disposal program,” said Rod Baltzer, President and CEO of WCS. “It creates a robust opportunity to develop and deploy the repackaging technology to prepare the used nuclear fuel currently in dry storage for final offsite disposal in a geologic repository.”
According to WCS’ press release, other benefits of consolidated interim storage include the opportunity to reduce the risk of further degradation of on-site infrastructure at permanently shut down reactor sites and to address public concerns about transportation by demonstrating successful transport of this material.
Another chief benefit of an accelerated schedule for moving fuel away from shutdown sites, states WCS, is to reduce the liability to taxpayers for the federal government’s failure to meet its contractual obligations to dispose of this material.
Background
Various lawsuits have been filed that allege that the federal government has failed to meet its statutory obligation to take title to used nuclear fuel by 1998. The government has estimated that its liability will total $13 billion by 2020 and may increase by approximately $500 million per year if a solution is not found by 2022.
The Nuclear Waste Fund’s 2015 Audit Statement found the net value of the fund to be $37.4 billion. Expenditures over the past five years have been approximately $4 billion.
WCS operates a privately owned facility in Andrews County, Texas that has been licensed to treat, store and dispose of Class A, B and C low-level radioactive waste. WCS is a subsidiary of Valhi, Inc.—a company that is engaged in the titanium dioxide pigments, component products (security products and high performance marine components), waste management, and real estate management and development industries.