[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 239 (Wednesday, December 13, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64104-64106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-30237]
[[Page 64103]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part II
Department of Energy
_______________________________________________________________________
Request for Expressions of Interest for Tritium Production; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 239 / Wednesday, December 13, 1995 /
Notices
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
[[Page 64104]]
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Request for Expressions of Interest for Tritium Production
AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Request for expressions of interest.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Tritium is an essential material in all nuclear weapons in the
U.S. nuclear stockpile. Because the U.S. is not currently producing
tritium, development of a new tritium supply will be essential for
maintaining the U.S. nuclear deterrent. The Department of Energy's
preferred strategy for acquiring new supplies of tritium is to pursue
the two most promising production alternatives: (1) use of one or more
existing Commercial Light Water Reactors (CLWRs); and (2) to design,
build and test critical components of an Accelerator-Produced Tritium
(APT) system to be used for tritium production. By this Notice, DOE is
requesting expressions of interest concerning DOE's possible
acquisition of one or more CLWRs, or acquisition of irradiation
services from CLWRs, for the production of tritium. In addition, this
request will solicit interest regarding the future potential use of
mixed oxide fuel from surplus weapons plutonium either coincident with
or separate from tritium production. The use of mixed oxide fuel is not
part of DOE's preferred strategy for acquiring new supplies of tritium
and no firm decisions have been made regarding the use of such fuel.
Nevertheless, DOE is seeking to ascertain industry interest in the
possible use of mixed oxide fuel for disposal of surplus weapons
plutonium.
DATES: Initial expressions of interest should be submitted on or before
January 29, 1996. Supplementary information regarding the expressions
of interest should be submitted on or before February 26, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Requests for information, and submittal of initial and
supplemental expressions of interest (original plus five (5) copies,
citing this Notice), should be directed to: Stephen M. Sohinki,
Director, Office of Reconfiguration, DP-25, United States Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., Washington D.C. 20585, Attention:
Tritium EOI, Telephone: (202) 586-0838.
Answers to questions that, in DOE's judgment, are of general
interest and applicability to all potential respondents will be made
available for review in DOE's Public Reading Room at DOE Headquarters
in Washington, D.C.
I. Purpose
A. Dual Path Strategy for Tritium Supply
Tritium, an essential material in U.S. nuclear weapons, decays at a
rate of approximately five percent per year (12.3 year half life). The
U.S. is not currently producing tritium. Resumption of tritium
production will be essential for maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons
stockpile and the U.S. nuclear deterrent. Tritium could be required as
early as 2005 should the START II treaty not be ratified and
implemented according to its terms. If the START II treaty is ratified
and implemented as written tritium would be required in 2011.
DOE distributed its Tritium Supply and Recycling Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement in October, 1995, in which it announced
its preferred ``dual path'' strategy for acquiring a new supply of
tritium. That strategy is to begin work on the two most promising
production alternatives: (1) to procure an option or options to
purchase or lease one or more existing CLWRs or procure CLWR
irradiation services for tritium production; and (2) to design, build
and test critical components of an APT system for tritium production. A
decision to implement the DOE's preferred dual path strategy for
tritium production, based upon the Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement and related cost, schedule and technical analyses, was
announced in a Record of Decision issued on December 5, 1995.
The CLWR and APT options present very different approaches and pose
fundamentally different technical and institutional issues that must be
evaluated to provide a basis for selection. During the next three
years, DOE will be undertaking the research and analyses necessary to
provide the technical, economic and regulatory bases for the selection
of the primary and backup technology approaches by 1998. If the CLWR
option is not selected as the primary source of tritium, however, DOE
intends to go forward with some form of the CLWR option as a backup for
the APT, as a contingency for U.S. national defense requirements.
B. Tritium Target Development
To produce tritium in a reactor, tritium target rods must be
inserted into the reactor to capture neutrons and generate tritium. A
lithium-aluminate, getter-barrier target design for use in a CLWR is
currently under development. Tritium is produced via neutron capture in
the lithium and the tritium generated is captured in a Zircaloy getter.
The target rod outer cladding is stainless steel which has an aluminide
inner coating to prevent tritium release. DOE's target development has
focused on PWR technology, with target dimensions sized so that the
target can be placed in either burnable poison or fuel rod locations.
Following irradiation, target rods would be removed from the reactor as
part of the refueling process and shipped to DOE's Savannah River Site
where the tritium would be extracted. Depending on production
requirements, between 2000 to 5000 target rods would be needed per fuel
cycle. A single reactor or multiple reactors could be utilized. Target
development work to date indicates that reactor fuel enrichment need
not exceed five (5) percent.
DOE's target development work has progressed to the point that it
is now appropriate to evaluate potential reactor candidates for the
production mission.
C. Acquisition of Option
DOE is interested in acquiring one or more options to purchase or
lease an existing commercial reactor or reactors, or to procure
irradiation services from one or more such reactors. To accomplish this
DOE will consider different types of options, as described in detail
below. To facilitate assessing the feasibility of these options, DOE is
requesting expressions of interest.
This Request for Expressions of Interest is not intended to be a
solicitation for proposals, and it is not anticipated that an award
will be made based on the expressions of interest received. Depending
on the nature of the responses received and subsequent determinations
by DOE, a formal solicitation for competitive proposals may be issued
in the future, and awards may be made based upon an evaluation of
proposals received pursuant to the evaluation criteria as stated in the
solicitation. However, DOE may utilize the information received in
response to this request to take any other action as authorized by law
to fulfill the government's requirements for the production of tritium,
and potential disposition of surplus weapons plutonium, including a
noncompetitive process.
For the information of potential respondents, a preliminary
procurement schedule is provided as an appendix to this Notice. The
preliminary schedule provided in the appendix is tentative and depends
upon a number of factors, including the nature of the responses to this
Request, meetings which may be conducted with respondents, and the need
for and schedule of necessary technical studies and analyses.
[[Page 64105]]
Respondents are encouraged to provide comments on the schedule so that
DOE may be made aware of any concerns and attempt to alleviate them to
the extent consistent with programmatic requirements.
D. Potential Use of Mixed Oxide Fuel From Surplus Weapons Plutonium
DOE is currently examining options for the disposal of surplus
weapons plutonium and is preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (PEIS) on storage and disposition of weapons-usable fissile
materials, scheduled for completion in late 1996. However, to
facilitate the Department's ongoing efforts to assess the feasibility
of disposal of surplus weapons plutonium through the use of mixed oxide
fuel in existing light water reactors, the Department is taking the
opportunity of this request for expressions of interest to solicit
information regarding the general level of industry interest in the
potential future use of mixed oxide fuel from surplus weapons plutonium
either coincident with (multipurpose) or separate from tritium
production. A reactor operator need not be interested in use of mixed
oxide fuel, however, in order to respond to the request for expressions
of interest for tritium production.
II. Areas of DOE Interest
DOE is considering acquiring in 1997 or 1998 one or more options
to:
Purchase or lease an operating reactor or reactors,
including options to purchase a complete facility, purchase a reactor
without any power-generating systems, obtain a long-term lease of a
facility or part of a facility or other similar arrangements, or
purchase an uncompleted reactor or reactors; or
Purchase target irradiation services, including all
possibilities ranging from obtaining all tritium from a single reactor
to using several reactors (the number of reactors to be utilized would
depend, among other things, on the quantity of tritium required). An
option to purchase irradiation services may also include an option to
purchase the reactor or reactors being utilized to provide the
services.
These options would be exercised after all necessary regulatory
approvals have been obtained.
DOE may also desire an option to conduct irradiation and other
testing of a Lead Test Assembly (LTA) target as a prelude to tritium
production. Follow-on tritium production may be accomplished in the
same reactor or reactors that were used for irradiation of the LTA, or
in a different reactor or reactors. Reactors to be considered may need
to be available for testing of tritium targets not later than July,
1997, and for mission use in about 2003, and would need to have
sufficient remaining useful life to meet mission needs. Candidate
reactors should have licenses with expiration dates of 2020 or later.
DOE's target development work has focused on targets for use in
pressurized water reactors (PWRs). Although tritium targets could be
developed for use in boiling water reactors (BWRs), significant
additional development work would likely be required at substantial
additional cost. DOE does not plan to develop such targets, given
existing budget constraints and the need to complete target development
and qualification in the required time frame. However, DOE has not
ruled out the use of BWRs and would be interested in expressions of
interest with respect to both the use of BWR plants and to the
development of BWR tritium targets.
In addition to the above, if the option of using existing light
water reactors were to be selected for the disposition of surplus
weapons plutonium when the DOE completes its Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement (PEIS) on storage and disposition of weapons-usable
fissile materials in late 1996, DOE would intend to embark on a mixed
oxide fuel (MOX) test and demonstration program including regulatory
review and testing of lead test assemblies. Thus, DOE requests that
respondents indicate their interest, if any, in participating in such a
potential test program.
Respondents should provide information that is as accurate as
possible, but information provided will not be considered as binding
nor all inclusive.
Respondents are requested to provide expressions of interest in two
parts over a 75 day response period:
Initial expressions of interest due at the end of the
first 45 day response period; and
Supplementary information due 30 days after submission of
initial expressions of interest.
Respondents are requested to provide the following information in
their initial expressions of interest:
The reactor(s) it may wish to sell, lease, or offer for
irradiation services.
The reactor(s) age, location, specifications, operating
schedule (including the anticipated refueling/outage schedule) and
capacity factor for each year of operation.
Respondents are requested to provide as much of the following
supplementary information as is feasible 30 days after the due date for
initial expressions of interest:
Proposed arrangements by which DOE would use the reactor
or reactors to produce tritium, including a non-binding price estimate
(or estimated range of prices), for each arrangement contemplated by
respondent, assuming that DOE would begin tritium production in 2005.
Discuss important variables that could affect the price or other terms
of the arrangements.
Equity- and debt-structure of owner(s)/co-owners, and
approvals that would be needed and requirements (terms/conditions) that
must be met before the respondent can enter into an agreement with DOE.
Potential issues involving decontamination and
decommissioning, or other technical or cost issues.
Interest and issues concerning the potential use of mixed
oxide fuel from surplus weapons plutonium.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) license requirements,
Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure requirements and
requirements of other federal, state or local regulatory authorities.
The complete operating history of the reactor(s), and
respondent's experience in operating the reactor(s).
The NRC enforcement history with respect to the
reactor(s).
Major maintenance actions taken in the last 10 years and
actions expected in the next 15 years for the reactor(s) and their
actual or estimated costs, as appropriate.
Any other issues specifically related to the particular
reactor(s), fuel type or assumptions, facility or services identified
in the response.
Any additional information or other requirements necessary
for developing a complete response to a future solicitation by DOE for
the use of CLWRs to produce tritium, including the potential use of
mixed oxide fuel from surplus weapons plutonium either coincident with
or separate from the production of tritium.
III. Expressions of Interest Format
There is no minimum length for expressions of interest. Maximum
aggregate length is fifty (50) pages for both initial and supplementary
responses, including enclosures or attachments. It is left to the
respondent to determine how best to use the fifty (50) page maximum. It
would, however, facilitate review if initial and supplementary
expressions of interest are divided into sections that correspond to
the categories of information identified in Section II., above.
[[Page 64106]]
Proprietary Information
If the initial or supplementary expression of interest contains
information that is privileged or confidential and which the respondent
does not want disclosed to the public, the respondent should place the
following notice on the expression of interest:
The information contained in pages ______ of this Expression of
Interest has been submitted in confidence and contains trade secrets
or commercial or financial information that is confidential or
privileged, and such information should be used or disclosed by the
Government or its contractors, only for purposes of consideration of
this Expression of Interest. This restriction does not limit the
Government's right to use or disclose other information obtained
without proprietary restrictions from any source, including other
information provided by the respondent.
Submission
Each submittal should consist of one original and five (5)
photocopies. DOE is under no obligation to pay for any costs associated
with the preparation or submission of expressions of interest in
response to this Notice. DOE reserves the right to respond, or not
respond to all or any portion of any expression of interest submitted
in response to this Notice. DOE intends to conduct a public meeting
regarding this notice 30 days from the date of its publication.
Following receipt of initial or supplementary responses, DOE may also
conduct one or more scoping meetings with all respondents to
disseminate additional information on this effort, and may also conduct
meetings with individual respondents for clarification of their
responses or to obtain additional information.
Issued in Washington, D.C. on December 5, 1995.
Hazel R. O'Leary,
Secretary.
Appendix--Preliminary Procurement Schedule
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Activity Completion date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Receipt of Initial Responses........... Jan. 19, 1996.
Receipt of Supplemental Information.... Feb. 20, 1996.
Complete Review of EOIs................ Mar. 15, 1996.
Issue Request for Proposals............ Jun. 1, 1996.
Proposals Due Date..................... Sep. 1, 1996.
Evaluate Proposal's and Select Dec. 1, 1996.
Competitive Range.
Conduct Discussions and Request and Apr. 1, 1997.
Receive Best and Final Offers.
Make Conditional Selection............. Jun. 1, 1997.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
[FR Doc. 95-30237 Filed 12-12-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P