NIST reactor remains shut down as NRC investigates radiation releaseNuclear NewsResearch & ApplicationsFebruary 11, 2021, 7:02AM|Nuclear News StaffNeutron measurement studies at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) are on hold for an investigation of a different sort. On February 9, less than a week after elevated radiation levels were detected as the NCNR research reactor was powered up following a scheduled maintenance outage, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission began an inspection at the facility. According to NIST, the reactor will remain shut down until the cause of the release is corrected.“The first step will be to develop a plan for safely assessing the condition of the reactor so that the root cause of the elevated radiation levels can be investigated,” NIST announced on February 5. “Once that root cause is determined, NIST will identify and then implement all necessary corrective actions.”NCNR background: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a facility of the Department of Commerce located in Gaithersburg, Md. The NCNR has operated for more than 50 years and it provides neutron measurement capabilities to more than 2,500 U.S. researchers each year to investigate a wide variety of materials and phenomena. The 20-MWt NCNR research reactor provides both cold and thermal neutrons to researchers that can reveal the secrets of structures on a nanoparticle scale. Research carried out at NCNR has been used to improve pharmaceuticals (including vaccines), high-tech alloys, data storage, and more.Timeline: The alert occurred at about 9:15 a.m. EST on February 3, and staff initiated a shutdown of the reactor. Six workers were initially contaminated during the event, and four additional workers were mildly contaminated while responding later in the day, according to the NRC. All the workers were decontaminated and cleared to return home the same day. On February 4, the affected staff members received additional screening to help determine the precise doses they received. All doses have been confirmed to be below the limits established for radiation workers.On February 5, NIST announced that, “The elevated levels of radiation within the NCNR’s confinement building have dropped significantly, as expected. Radiation levels outside the confinement building have always been significantly below regulatory health and safety limits and have returned to their normal level of hundreds of times below those limits.”The NRC reported February 8 that while “a small amount of radioactive material reached the environment, available information continues to show the public near the NIST facility remains safe, as the release was under regulatory limits.”NRC investigation: The NRC sent two inspectors, to be supplemented by additional inspectors as needed, to begin a special inspection on February 9 to evaluate the cause of the radiation release and worker contamination. According to the NRC, the inspectors will evaluate the adequacy of NIST’s response to the situation, NIST’s determination of the root cause of the event, and NIST’s corrective actions. The inspectors will also review radiation monitoring data and determine if there are generic implications for similar facilities. The NRC inspectors will prepare and release a report about 30 days after the conclusion of their inspection.Tags:ncnrneutronsnistnrcShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
ANS forms advanced reactors working groupNesbitKnowing that many ANS members are heavily involved in the development and regulatory oversight of advanced reactors, ANS Vice President/President-elect Steve Nesbit envisioned a place where members involved in the field could pool their resources, exchange ideas, and support interactions with other organizations and government agencies.Nesbit’s vision is becoming a reality with the formation of the ANS Advanced Reactor Group. For now, it is housed within the Operations and Power Division, but the ARG will be open to other divisions as well. In fact, OPD chair Piyush Sabharwall said that input from across the ANS membership is essential for the group.Go to Article
China on course to lead in nuclear by 2030, says IEAChina will have the world's largest nuclear power fleet within a decade, an International Energy Agency official noted during a session at the High-Level Workshop on Nuclear Power in Clean Energy Transitions, World Nuclear News reported on March 3.The workshop was held jointly by the IEA and the International Atomic Energy Agency.The IEA official, Brent Wanner, head of Power Sector Modelling & Analysis for the agency's World Energy Outlook publication, said that as nuclear fleets in the United States, Canada, and Japan reach their original design lifetimes, decisions will have to be made about what will happen after that. Absent license renewals, the contribution of nuclear power could decline substantially in those countries while China’s reactor building program will boost it into the first position.Go to Article
The NRC: Observations on commissioner appointmentsIn 2015, we wrote an article for Nuclear News analyzing the history of commissioners appointed to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and assessing their backgrounds, experience, and qualifications at the time of their appointment. At the time, ANS had not established a formal position statement on NRC commissioner appointees. Our article provided an objective assessment of historical patterns and was used to develop ANS position statement #77, The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (2016). This article draws upon the 2015 article and provides updated data and analysis. Also, the recommendations of the position statement are applied to the current vacancy on the commission.Go to Article
Transfer of Palisades license from Entergy to Holtec challengedSeveral antinuclear groups and the State of Michigan have filed petitions to intervene in the transfer of the Palisades nuclear power plant license from Entergy to Holtec International for decommissioning following the plant’s permanent shutdown and defueling in the spring of 2022. Go to Article
NRC grants Duane Arnold emergency planning exemptionsNextEra Energy will be allowed to revise the emergency preparedness plan for its Duane Arnold nuclear power plant to reflect the plant’s decommissioning status, having been granted exemptions from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s emergency preparedness and planning requirements, the agency announced on February 17. A single-unit boiling water reactor plant located in Palo, Iowa, approximately eight miles northwest of Cedar Rapids, Duane Arnold was shut down in August 2020 after a derecho damaged the plant’s cooling towers.The NRC regularly issues exemptions from its licensing requirements to nuclear power plants that are transitioning to decommissioning, where the risk of an off-site radiological release is significantly lower, and the types of possible accidents significantly fewer, than at an operating reactor.Once NextEra implements the exemptions, state and local governments can rely on comprehensive emergency management (“all hazard”) planning for off-site emergency response should an event occur at Duane Arnold. As a result, there will not be a 10-mile emergency planning zone as currently identified in Duane Arnold’s license. The plant will maintain an on-site emergency plan and response capabilities, including the continued notification of state government officials in the event of an emergency declaration.Go to Article
PRA standard for Advanced Non-Light Water Reactors just issuedANSI/ASME/ANS RA-S-1.4-2021, “Probabilistic Risk Assessment Standard for Advanced Non-Light Water Reactor Nuclear Power Plants,” has just been issued. Approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on January 28, 2021, this joint American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)/American Nuclear Society (ANS) standard sets forth requirements for probabilistic risk assessments (PRAs) used to support risk-informed decisions for commercial nuclear power plants and prescribes a method for applying these requirements for specific applications.ANSI/ANS-RA-S-1.4-2021 and its preview are available in the ANS Standards Store.Go to Article
NRC report updates decommissioning cost guidanceThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission has updated its guidance for nuclear power plant owners and operators in estimating the cost of decommissioning their reactors. Licensed power reactor operators are required under NRC regulations to annually adjust the estimated costs (in current year dollars) of decommissioning their plants to ensure that adequate funds are available when needed.NUREG-1307, Revision 18, Report on Waste Burial Charges: Changes in Decommissioning Waste Disposal Costs at Low-Level Waste Burial Facilities, issued on February 3, explains the formula acceptable to the NRC for determining the minimum decommissioning fund requirements for nuclear power reactor licensees. Specifically, NUREG-1307 provides the adjustment factor and updates the values for the labor, energy, and waste burial escalation factors of the minimum formula.Go to Article
NRC opens Palisades license proceedings to public commentThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission has opened for public comment the license transfer proceedings for the Palisades nuclear power plant, with the opportunity to request a hearing and petition for leave to intervene. Notice of the open proceedings was published in the February 4 Federal Register. Deadlines are February 24 for requests for a hearing and March 8 for comments.In December, Entergy Corporation and Holtec International jointly submitted an application to the NRC for approval of the transfer of the licenses for the Palisades nuclear plant–located in Covert, Mich.—to Holtec, following the plant’s permanent shutdown and defueling in the spring of 2022. The application also requests approval of the license transfer of Entergy’s decommissioned Big Rock Point facility near Charlevoix, Mich., where only the independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) remains.Go to Article
New York sues NRC over Indian Point decommissioningIndian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, N.Y. Photo: Entergy NuclearNew York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit on behalf of the State of New York against the Nuclear Regulatory Commission over the sale of the Indian Point nuclear power plant to subsidiaries of Holtec International for decommissioning.Filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on January 22, the suit challenges the NRC’s denial of New York’s petition for a hearing regarding the transfer of Indian Point’s licenses from owner Entergy to Holtec, as well as the NRC’s initial approval of the license transfer. The NRC approved the transfer in November 2020 while challenges from the state and other groups were still being adjudicated. The NRC issued its order denying New York’s petition to intervene on January 15.The transfer of ownership of the plant from Entergy to Holtec is targeted to occur after Indian Point-3 shuts down in April 2021. Indian Point-2 permanently ceased operations in April 2020, and Indian Point-1 has been shut down since 1974. The pressurized-water reactors are located in Buchanan, N.Y., approximately 24 miles north of New York City.Go to Article
Deadline for comments on decommissioning guidance extendedThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended for two months the public comment period for its draft decommissioning guidance, Consolidated Decommissioning Guidance, Characterization, Survey, and Determination of Radiological Criteria (NUREG-1757, Volume 2, Revision 2).Go to Article