TVA Signs on for Mixed Oxide Fuel to be Produced Near Augusta

The Tennessee Valley Authority, a federal nuclear operation and a major energy supplier in the South, has tentatively signed on to use mixed oxide fuel from a plant under construction near Augusta.

TVA has signed a letter of intent for the fuel, according to the National Nuclear Security Administration, and a final decision will come after the agency evaluates use of the fuel for reactors at the Sequoyah and Browns Ferry nuclear plants in Tennessee and Alabama, respectively.

The fuel would be made from weapons grade plutonium -- a total of 34 metric tons -- at the Savannah River Site, a massive federal entity near Augusta that processes nuclear materials, and used in commercial nuclear reactors. It is currently under construction, and at $4.8 billion, is one of the most expensive projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

TVA is so far the only agency on board to use the fuel. Duke Energy, which provides power to the Carolinas, did not renew a contract with the MOX plant earlier this year after delays in construction of the plant. The company has said it supports the plant, however, and might consider renewing its plans for the fuel at a later date.

Supporters of the MOX plant say it's a crucial part of nuclear nonproliferation efforts and provides yet another resource for energy. Opponents say the MOX project is too expensive and dangerous; they also have expressed skepticism over whether the fuel will work in the reactors.

Officials expect the plant to start producing fuel in 2016.

New DOE Budget Reflects Little Change at Savannah River Site

The Department of Energy budget released yesterday calls for little significant change at the Savannah River Site near Augusta.

SRS is the leading manufacturer of the radio active material tritium, used in nuclear weapons. Under the 2010 budget they will maintain that position.

Damien LaVera, a spokesperson for the National Nuclear Security Administration, says that the approach to defense related programs will remain in line with the 2009 budget until a series of national reviews reevaluate the country’s nuclear position. However, he expects to see significant changes in the 2011 budget once those reviews are complete.

With the Obama administration’s pledge to reduce the nuclear stockpile, SRS faces the possibility of a significant reduction in the manufacturing of tritium, which could lead to the loss of jobs. But for now they will stay the course.

The new budget maintains the allocation of over $1 billion for environmental cleanup operations and close to $500 million for the mixed oxide fuel reprocessing plant (MOX). The MOX facility recently received criticism from the DOE inspector general for failing to meet quality control standards.

For the full budget click here.

Federal Audit Questions Safety of Projects at Savannah River Site Near Augusta

The U.S. Department of Energy’s inspector general is sharply criticizing the DOE for safety and quality assurance controls in multiple projects at the Savannah River Site near Augusta.

An audit report by the inspector general focuses on the procurement of materials used in the construction of a mixed oxide fuel plant (MOX) that would convert weapons-grade plutonium to fuel for commercial reactors, as well as a tritium extraction facility and a salt waste processing plant to treat radioactive waste.

“In a worst case scenario, undetected, nonconforming components could fail and injure workers or the public,” the inspector general’s report says.

The inspector general noted problems with $11 million in weakened rebar procured for the $4.8 billion MOX facility, one of the Department of Energy’s most expensive projects. The company building the MOX plant said earlier this year that the problems had been corrected.

But the correction of such errors is costly, the inspector general says, adding that quality assurance and communication between contractors involved in the three projects should be improved.

“Although these are positive steps, weaknesses in oversight and communication remain; therefore, additional action is necessary.”

The audit also noted that none of the six safety issues reviewed by the inspector general at the tritium extraction facility adequately met quality assurance standards. The facility would replenish the nation’s tritium supply. The Savannah River Site conducts nearly all of the Department of Energy’s tritium activities.

In addition, any potential failure of a component procured for the salt waste project could have caused a radioactive spill of up to 15,000 gallons of high-level radioactive waste.

The National Nuclear Security Administration, meanwhile, disagrees with the inspector general’s safety concerns and related cost impacts, noting instead that the problems were of low significance, the report says.

The inspector general’s investigation spans from September 2008 until April 2009.

To see the report, click here.

Power Company Out of Fuel Deal with Plant Near Augusta

Photo of MOX plant under construction. (Courtesy Shaw Areva Mox Services)

A power company in North Carolina says its contract to buy fuel made from weapons-grade plutonium at a plant near Augusta has expired.

A spokeswoman for Duke Energy, based in Charlotte, says the company did not renew the contract after re-negotiations broke down with Shaw Areva Mox Services, a private company building the plant that will process the fuel. That comes after apparent delays in production of the fuel, she says. Duke had planned to use the fuel in some of its nuclear reactors.

The U.S. Department of Energy is funding the plant's construction. At $4.8 billion, it's one of DOE's most expensive endeavors.

Critics have long argued the plant is a waste of government money and say the contract's expiration is a major blow to the mixed oxide fuel (MOX) plant at the Savannah River Site near Augusta. They say Duke was the plant's only customer so far. The plant, which is under construction, is expected to go online by 2016.

But Duke Energy says it still supports the plant's construction, and may later renew efforts to get the fuel.

Duke says it successfully used similar fuel from France in one of its reactors for nearly three years.

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NRC approves construction procedures at nuclear fuel plant near Augusta

Construction is underway on a plant at the Savannah River Site near Augusta that will convert dangerous weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for commercial nuclear reactors.

The mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility, known as MOX, will turn 34 metric tons of plutonium from the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile into fuel for power plants.

Officials say the plant will reduce dangerous nuclear proliferation while providing much needed power.

"They have found nothing that we need to change in terms of management action, construction support, or facilities support," says David Stinson, president of Shaw Areva MOX Services, the contractor over seeing the plant's construction.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Monday said it has found no major performance issues with the construction. That follows two years of pre-construction and construction site inspections.

Yet, an earlier report from the NRC had criticized what it called poor quality control and a lack of oversight by the construction contractor. The agency had found concrete destined for the plant had been improperly manufactured. It also found problems with weakened concrete reinforcement bars, also known as rebar.

Construction at the $4.8 billion plant, one of the most expensive and significant projects by the U.S. Department of Energy, began last year. The plant is supposed to be built strong enough to withstand earthquakes or terrorist attacks.

Stinson says the amount of rebar in question was relatively small, and that MOX now gets the steel bars from another manufacturer.

"All the remaining rebar was removed from the site, and only new supplies that are fully compliant are there, so we feel very good about the work and that it's safe," says Stinson.

The NRC acknowledged the problems at a meeting this week to discuss its review of the MOX plant, but called them minor and, therefore, not warranting further action.

That angers environmental groups that are protesting MOX. They say the NRC is not doing enough to ensure that the building is safe.

"If you make mistakes building the plant, you are essentially building a potential time bomb," says Dr. Edwin Lyman, an analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists. "I think they're just trying to put the best possible face on a disturbing situation, and that situation is that there is a significant issue in the U.S. and abroad for having the correct procedures for making sure dangerous nuclear facilities are built to the highest standards."

With the NRC's inspection report this week, construction continues on schedule at the plant.

Officials expect operations to begin in 2016.

Construction issues at plant near Augusta raises concerns about nuclear construction

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has found problems with concrete used in the construction of a nuclear fuel plant near Augusta, raising concerns about quality control as the nation prepares for a likely surge in new nuclear construction.

The NRC is criticizing what it calls poor quality control and a lack of oversight by the contractor building a mixed oxide fuel plant at the Savannah River Site, a massive operation that processes nuclear materials in South Carolina, just across the state border from Augusta.

The agency found that the concrete used in the plant, which will convert weapons-grade plutonium into nuclear fuel, was improperly manufactured. It also found problems with concrete reinforcement bars used in construction.

A report by the NRC says it also found problems with quality control assurance and a lack of oversight by the contractor on the matter. It also notes that similar problems were found in nuclear construction 20 years ago.

Opponents of nuclear expansion say the report heightens their concerns that a lack of oversight in nuclear construction industry-wide could potentially lead to safety issues. They hope the report serves as a wake-up call to contractors as efforts increase to build nuclear reactors and other nuclear operations.

The $4 billion mixed oxide fuel (MOX) plant is currently one of the U.S. Department of Energy's most significant and expensive new nuclear construction projects underway.

The Savannah River Site is a major employer and economic engine in the Augusta area.