[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 157 (Friday, August 14, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43732-43733]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-21851]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Project No. 697]


Notice of Receipt of DOE Topical Report on Tritium Production 
Core

    In order to maintain the strategic stockpile, the U.S. Department 
of Energy (DOE) is considering the use of commercial light-water 
reactors (CLWRs) to produce tritium. On July 30, 1998, DOE submitted a 
topical report to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) 
entitled, ``Tritium Production Core (TPC) Topical Report,'' that 
describes how the inclusion of significant numbers of tritium-producing 
burnable absorber rods (TPBARs) in the reactor core affects nuclear 
plant systems, safety and component analyses, and performance for a 
reference CLWR.

[[Page 43733]]

    The NRC staff will prepare a safety evaluation on the DOE topical 
report to address, on a preliminary basis, the acceptability of 
irradiation of the proposed load of TPBARs in a CLWR. Upon completion 
of its evaluation, the staff will provide its conclusions to the 
Commission prior to issuance.
    The staff plans to hold a public meeting to provide for public 
comment regarding the use of any particular facility for irradiation of 
TPBARs as proposed by DOE in the TPC topical report. The date and 
location of the meeting(s) will be announced later.
    For Further Information Contact: J.H. Wilson at (301) 415-1108 or 
e-mail JHW[email protected].
    For further details with respect to this action, see the DOE 
topical report submitted by letter dated July 30, 1998, which is 
available for public inspection at the Commission's Public Document 
Room, the Gelman Building, 2120 L Street, NW., Washington, DC 20555.

    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day of August, 1998.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Melinda Malloy,
Acting Chief, Generic Issues and Environmental Projects Branch, 
Division of Reactor Program Management, Office of Nuclear Reactor 
Regulation.
[FR Doc. 98-21851 Filed 8-13-98; 8:45 am]
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