MOX Services Looks to Extend NRC Construction Authorization for 10 Years
NS&D Monitor
9/5/2014
Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility contractor CB&I AREVA MOX Services is awaiting a response to its request for a 10-year extension to its construction authorization from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Currently the NRC’s construction authorization expires on March 30, 2015, but CB&I AREVA MOX Services requested in May an extension through March 2025. Construction of the facility has slowed as the Department of Energy examines the path forward for its plutonium disposition program. “This is a routine issue. It falls under procedures that the NRC has developed for licensees. It’s simply an authorization to continue construction,” MOX Services spokesman Bryan Wilkes said. “This just allows construction to continue for completion of the facility. It is not a prediction that it will take 10 more years.”
Numerous factors have contributed to the need for an extension, according to MOX Services’ May request. That includes the fact that the plant is a “unique, first-of-a-kind facility,” and annual funding that has been less than the projected funding profile. A shortage of qualified vendors has delayed delivery of components, and a shortage of qualified construction workers has also led to delays. Additionally, there was a two-year gap between the issuance of the NRC Construction Authorization and the start of nuclear construction.
The NRC review of the extension request is currently in process, according to Commission spokeswoman Maureen Conley. “The process is similar to the way we handled Watts Bar’s request for an extension of their construction authorization—we are reviewing the overall request and preparing an environmental assessment,” she said. “We expect sometime this fall to publish the EA in the Federal Register, and assuming our review supports it, separately to publish an order to extend the CA.“
