DOE Office of the Inspector General

The Office of Inspector General has issued a report auditing DOE’s Small Modular Reactor Licensing Technical Support Program. The program’s mission is to support design certification and licensing with industry partners to promote commercializing and deploying SMRs. The report concluded that in some instances DOE reimbursed award recipients for unallowable costs, including rent payments, travel and labor costs. DOE management corrected these costs shortly after the program’s review. A full copy of the report can be found here.

WBIR.Com

May 26, 2016

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has received an application from the Tennessee Valley Authority to build a new, smaller nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge, the agency announced Thursday.

The NRC published the application on its website here.

TVA filed the application for a small modular reactor on May 12 for an early site permit (ESP) on the Clinch River near the southwest edge of Oak Ridge.

The NRC said in a release the agency will work to determine if the site is “suitable for building and operating a nuclear power facility."

Even if the NRC concludes the ESP is justified, the agency said TVA will have to file another application for permission to build and operate the plant.

Previously, TVA told 10News the new nuclear plant would be a design that has never been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the United States.

It could be years before the design and the site are approved.

In a release Thursday, the NRC said it expects to be done with an initial review in mid-July. Previously, TVA officials said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will plan public meetings to explain the process to people

 TVA provides electricity to nine million people in seven states.  TVA spokesperson Jim Hopson said previously the small modular reactor would have many benefits in comparison to the Watts Bar 1150 megawatt nuclear reactor. The reactor runs about 80-200 megawatts.

Hopson said they also have a modern design with advanced safety features and have adjustable settings, unlike larger reactors, that are better in conjunction with solar and wind power. It also produces zero emissions.

 While TVA waits for the design approval, Hopson said they are already applying for a permit to see if there are any problems they can fix them to be ready if and when the design is approved.

"This is the first step in a very long process to get this online. But it's an important step," Hopson said.

Registration is now open for the 2016 National Cleanup Workshop, scheduled for September 14-15, 2016, at the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center in Alexandria, Va.

ECA will host the event in cooperation with DOE and the Energy Facility Contractors Group. 

The workshop will bring together senior DOE executives and site officials, industry executives, and other stakeholders to discuss EM's progress on the cleanup of the environmental legacy of the nation’s Manhattan Project and Cold War nuclear weapons program.

EM senior leadership set to participate in the workshop include Assistant Secretary Monica Regalbuto, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Mark Whitney, and Acting Associate Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Frank Marcinowski.

Topics will include:

For more information, including on how to register,  visit cleanupworkshop.com. 

Over350 people attended the inaugural workshop last September. Additional information about last year's workshop, including remarks by Secretary Moniz, can be found online here.