A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will hear oral arguments on petitions for an adjudicatory hearing on Interim Storage Partners' license application for an interim facility to store spent nuclear fuel in Andrews County, Texas.
The FY2019 annual fees are increasing for operating reactors, research and test reactors, and some materials users. Annual fees will decrease for spent fuel storage/reactor decommissioning, fuel facilities, select materials users, U.S. Department of Energy transportation activities, and the DOE Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act Program.
U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry was on hand for the announcement of the closing of approximately $1.67 billion in additional Department of Energy loan guarantees for the Vogtle 3 and 4 units, which Georgia Power has predicted will cost about $25 billion to complete, or nearly twice their original estimated cost.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials in Atlanta recently announced the selection of Kenya Carrington and Patrick Heher as resident inspectors for the construction of Vogtle Units 3 and 4, new units being built near Waynesboro, Ga.
Proposed annual fees for FY2019 have increased for operating reactors, some materials users, and Department of Energy transportation activities.
The oral arguments on Jan. 23 and, if necessary, Jan. 24, will be open to the public. Signs, banners, posters, demonstrations, and displays will not be permitted by NRC policy, according to the agency.
The Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report includes a table showing that the entire period from shutdown of the plant to license termination will last 60 years.
The agreement signed Sept. 25 transfers regulatory authority over certain radioactive materials to the state. NRC transferred responsibility for licensing, rulemaking, inspection, and enforcement activities needed to regulate source material involved in uranium or thorium milling and the management and disposal of milling waste.
NRC is accepting additional public comments through Oct. 19 on environmental issues to be considered in its environmental impact statement, and the agency has given stakeholders until Oct. 29 to request a hearing.
The MEITNER projects will leverage design, new manufacturing processes, and technologies to lower costs and increase the competitiveness of nuclear power; these funded projects will support advanced reactor designs that achieve lower construction cost and autonomous operations while improving safety.