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Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 20-036 June 23, 2020
CONTACT: David McIntyre, 301-415-8200
 
NRC Identifies Nine Abnormal Occurrence Events in FY 2019 Annual Report to Congress
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has published its annual report to Congress for fiscal year 2019 regarding Abnormal Occurrences involving the medical and industrial uses of radioactive material.
 
Nine Abnormal Occurrences were identified, seven of which were medical events, such as misadministration of radioactive material in diagnosis or treatment of an illness. One event involved a worker exposure, and the final event was the theft and subsequent recovery of a device containing a risk-significant radioactive source. No events at commercial nuclear power plants in FY 2019 met the criteria requiring an Abnormal Occurrence declaration.
 
U.S. law defines an Abnormal Occurrence as an unscheduled incident or event that the NRC determines to be significant from the standpoint of public health or safety. The NRC sets specific criteria, most recently updated in October 2017, for determining which events qualify.
 
The Report to Congress on Abnormal Occurrences, Fiscal Year 2019, is available on the NRC website as NUREG 0090, Volume 42.
 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 20-033 June 15, 2020
CONTACT: Office of Public Affairs, 301-415-8200
 
NRC Accepts License Application for Oklo Advanced Reactor
 
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has accepted for review a Combined License application from Oklo Power LLC. to build and operate the company’s Aurora reactor at the Idaho National Laboratory site in Idaho.
 
The proposed Aurora design uses heat pipes to transport heat from the reactor core to a supercritical carbon-dioxide power conversion system to generate electricity. Oklo’s application, submitted on March 11, seeks approval of the first NRC license for an advanced non-light-water reactor design. The NRC and Oklo have engaged in “pre-application” discussions since 2016.
 
Accepting the application for review, or “docketing,” does not indicate whether the Commission will ultimately approve or reject the request for a license. The NRC is focusing on aligning on key design and safety aspects early in the process to provide a predictable and efficient licensing schedule. Information regarding the Combined License process is available on the NRC website.
 
In the near future, the NRC expects to publish in the Federal Register a notice of opportunity to intervene in an adjudicatory hearing on the Combined License. Petitions to intervene in a hearing must be filed within 60 days of the notice, by anyone whose interest may be affected by the proposed license and who wants to participate as a party in the proceeding. More information on the hearing process is available on the NRC website.
 
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Operations Center
 
Event Reports For
6/11/2020 - 6/12/2020 (Note delay of posting)
 
** EVENT NUMBERS **
 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 20-034 June 18, 2020
CONTACT: Office of Public Affairs, 301-415-8200
 
NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to Hold Oral Argument on Vogtle 3 New Reactor License Amendment
 
A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board will conduct an oral argument via teleconference on July 1, 2020, regarding a petition to hold an adjudicatory hearing concerning the Southern Nuclear Operating Company application to amend the combined license for the under-construction Vogtle Unit 3 reactor near Waynesboro, Ga.
 
The oral argument will begin at 10 a.m., Eastern Time, and will address the standing of the petitioner, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, and the admissibility of the group’s proposed contentions. The three administrative judges on the Board will hear argument from representatives for BREDL, Southern Nuclear, and the NRC staff.
 
The public will have listen-only access to the teleconference. Those interested in calling in can access the conference by dialing 888-566-5903, passcode 2416062#.
 
The Board is composed of three administrative judges from the NRC’s Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel. Boards conduct adjudicatory hearings on major licensing actions by the NRC, and are independent of the NRC staff. A Board’s rulings may be appealed to the Commission, the five-member body that sets NRC policy.
 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 20-032 June 8, 2020
CONTACT: Office of Public Affairs, 301-415-8200
 
NRC Commissioner Wright Sworn in for Second Term
 
David A. Wright, nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, was sworn in today as an NRC Commissioner by Chairman Kristine L. Svinicki for a second term. Wright’s second term as Commissioner will begin July 1, 2020, and will end on June 30, 2025.
 
Wright previously served as Owner/President of Wright Directions, LLC, a strategic energy and water consulting and communications business. He also served as a member and Chairman of the South Carolina Public Service Commission from 2004-2013. He was elected and served as President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners from 2011-2012. Additionally, he has served as a council member and mayor of Irmo, S.C., and as a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives.
 
A colon cancer survivor, Wright is an advocate for cancer awareness and education. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Clemson University.
 
The NRC is comprised of five Commissioners, one of whom is designated by the President as Chairman. The Commission was established to be a collegial body that formulates policies, develops regulations, issues orders to licensees, and adjudicates legal matters. The Commissioners serve five-year terms, with one term expiring every year on June 30. No more than three Commissioners may be of the same political party.
 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 20-030 June 8, 2020
CONTACT: Office of Public Affairs, 301-415-8200
 
Christopher T. Hanson Sworn in as NRC Commissioner
 
Christopher T. Hanson was sworn in today by NRC Chairman Kristine L. Svinicki as the fifth NRC Commissioner. Hanson was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve the remainder of a five-year term expiring June 30, 2024. Hanson will begin serving his term immediately.
 
Hanson has more than two decades of government and private- sector experience in the fields of nuclear energy. Prior to joining the NRC, he served as a staff member on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
 
Before working in the Senate, Hanson served as a senior advisor in the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy. He also served as a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he led multiple engagements for government and industry.
 
Hanson earned master’s degrees from Yale Divinity School and Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where he focused on ethics and natural resource economics. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Ind.
 
The NRC is comprised of five Commissioners, one of whom is designated by the President as Chairman. The Commission was established to be a collegial body that formulates policies, develops regulations, issues orders to licensees and adjudicates legal matters. The Commissioners serve five-year terms, with one term expiring every year on June 30. No more than three Commissioners may be of the same political party.
 
Mr. Loomis:

By application dated April 28, 2020 (ADAMS Accession No. ML20119B061), Exelon Generation
Company, LLC (the licensee) submitted a request in accordance with Paragraph 50.55a(z)(1) of
Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) for a proposed alternative to the
requirements of 10 CFR 50.55a and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
Code at Braidwood Station, Units 1 and 2; Byron Station, Unit Nos. 1 and 2; Calvert Cliffs
Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1 and 2; and R. E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant The proposed
alternative would allow the licensee to use ASME Code Case N-885, “Alternative Requirements
for Table IWB-2500-1, Examination Category B-N-1, Interior of Reactor Vessel, Category B-N-2,
Welded Core Support Structures and Interior Attachments to Reactor Vessels, Category B-N-3,
Removable Core Support Structures Section XI, Division 1,” at these facilities.
 

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