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DOE announces NEPA exclusion for advanced reactors
The Department of Energy has announced that it is establishing a categorical exclusion for the application of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) procedures to the authorization, siting, construction, operation, reauthorization, and decommissioning of advanced nuclear reactors.
According to the DOE, this significant change, which goes into effect today, “is based on the experience of DOE and other federal agencies, current technologies, regulatory requirements, and accepted industry practice.”
Jeffery F. Latkowski
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 34 | Number 3 | November 1998 | Pages 767-771
National Ignition Facility-Target Area | doi.org/10.13182/FST98-A11963706
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
During routine operations, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) will attain fusion yields as high as 1200 MJ/yr with individual experiments reaching 20 MJ. Neutron activation of components within the NIF Target Bay will result in occupational doses that must be understood and limited to ≤ 10 person-rem/yr. Previous work has shown that the final optics assemblies (FOAs) are the key to worker doses. The present work gives results for three-dimensional analyses including dose rates and worker doses. Results for modified FOA designs are also presented. Finally, a concept for a polyethylene shielding plug is discussed and shown to substantially reduce occupational doses.