[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 243 (Wednesday, December 20, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60420-60422]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27436]


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NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. 70-1257; NRC-2017-0148]


AREVA, Inc.; Richland, Washington; Indirect Transfer of License; 
Order

AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Indirect transfer of license; order.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is issuing an 
Order approving the indirect transfer of several licenses. AREVA, Inc., 
is the holder of materials license no. SNM-1227, which authorizes the 
possession and use of special nuclear material (SNM) at the AREVA, Inc. 
site in Richland, Washington. AREVA, Inc. is also the holder of export 
license nos. XSNM3551, XSNM3697, XSNM3747, XSOU8833, XCOM1202, XW015, 
XCOM1304, XSNM3780, XSNM3781, XSNM3782, and import license no. IW009 
which authorize the import and export of licensed materials/components 
to and from facilities in the United States. The Order approves the 
indirect transfer of control of the above licenses resulting from a 
planned reorganization of AREVA, Inc.'s parent company and the sale of 
part of the parent company. There will be no direct transfer of control 
because AREVA, Inc. will continue to be the license holder. The Order 
became effective upon issuance.

DATES: The Order was issued on November 14, 2017, and is applicable 
until March 31, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC-2017-0148 when contacting the 
NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You 
may obtain publicly-available information related to this document 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking website: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC-2017-0148. Address 
questions about NRC dockets to Carol Gallagher; telephone: 301-415-
3463; email: [email protected]. For technical questions, contact 
the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of 
this document.

[[Page 60421]]

     NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System 
(ADAMS): You may obtain publicly-available documents online in the 
ADAMS Public Documents collection at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. To begin the search, select ``ADAMS Public Documents'' and 
then select ``Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.'' For problems with ADAMS, 
please contact the NRC's Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 
1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [email protected]. The 
ADAMS accession number for each document referenced (if it is available 
in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in this 
document. In addition, for the convenience of the reader, the ADAMS 
accession numbers are provided in a table in the ``Availability of 
Documents'' section of this document.
     NRC's PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public 
documents at the NRC's PDR, Room O1-F21, One White Flint North, 11555 
Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin M. Ramsey, Office of Nuclear 
Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, 
Washington, DC 20555-0001; telephone: 301-415-7506, email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The text of the Order is attached.

Availability of Documents

    The documents identified in the following table are available to 
interested persons through one or more of the following methods, as 
indicated.

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                   Document                       ADAMS Accession No.
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Letter dated April 14, 2017, titled ``AREVA    ML17108A259
 Internal Reorganization and Indirect
 Transfer to EDF: Request for NRC Consent to
 License Transfers''.
Letter dated July 14, 2017, titled ``AREVA     ML17200C949
 Internal Reorganization and Indirect
 Transfer to EDF: Request for NRC Consent to
 License Transfers''.
Letter dated August 31, 2017, titled           ML17265A374
 ``Response to a Request for Additional
 Information Regarding Application for NRC
 Consent to License Transfers''.
Letter dated October 4, 2017, titled ``Update  ML17283A110
 to Request for NRC Consent to License
 Transfers''.
Letter dated November 14, 2017, titled         ML17269A246
 ``AREVA, Inc.--Order Approving Indirect
 Transfer of Control of Licenses''.
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    Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 13th day of December, 2017.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Robert K. Johnson,
Chief, Fuel Manufacturing Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety, 
Safeguards, and Environmental Review, Office of Nuclear Material Safety 
and Safeguards.

Attachment--Order Approving Indirect Transfer of Control of License

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Docket Nos. 70-1257, 110-6288, 110-5623, 110-5959, 110-6110, 110-6153, 
110-5788, 110-5149, 110-5789, 110-6231, 110-6265, 110-6267; License 
Nos. SNM-1227, XSNM3782, XSNM3551, XSNM3697, XSNM3747, XSOU8833, 
XCOM1202, IW009, XW015, XCOM1304, XSNM3780, XSNM3781

In the Matter of AREVA, Inc., Richland, Washington

ORDER APPROVING INDIRECT TRANSFER OF CONTROL OF LICENSE

I

    AREVA, Inc., is the holder of materials license no. SNM-1227, 
which authorizes the possession and use of special nuclear material 
(SNM) at the AREVA, Inc. site in Richland, Washington. AREVA, Inc. 
is also the holder of export license nos. XSNM3551, XSNM3697, 
XSNM3747, XSOU8833, XCOM1202, XW015, XCOM1304, XSNM3780, XSNM3781, 
XSNM3782, and import license no. IW009 which authorize the import 
and export of licensed materials/components to and from facilities 
in the United States.

II

    By letter dated April 14, 2017, and supplemented by letters 
dated July 14, August 31, and October 4, 2017 (collectively the 
Application), AREVA, Inc. requested the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 
Commission's (NRC's) approval of the indirect transfer of control of 
the licenses listed above. The indirect transfer of control would 
result from a planned reorganization of AREVA SA to create a new, 
wholly-owned subsidiary and the sale of controlling interest in the 
new subsidiary to Electricite de France (EDF). AREVA SA, a company 
organized under the laws of France, is the ultimate parent company 
of AREVA NP SAS, a company organized under the laws of France and 
the current intermediate parent of AREVA, Inc. After the 
reorganization is complete, AREVA NP SAS will have a new, wholly-
owned subsidiary called New NP SA. AREVA, Inc. will be a wholly-
owned subsidiary of New NP SA, which in turn will be a wholly-owned 
subsidiary of AREVA NP SAS and indirect subsidiary of AREVA SA. 
AREVA SA will transfer controlling interest in New NP SA to EDF, a 
company organized under the laws of France. AREVA, Inc. will be an 
indirect subsidiary of EDF. The transaction will thus involve the 
indirect transfer of control over AREVA, Inc.'s NRC-issued licenses.
    There will be no direct transfer of control because AREVA, Inc. 
will continue to be the license holder. There will be no change in 
the management or technical personnel responsible for licensed 
activities. The current safety, security, and licensing 
organizations within AREVA, Inc. will remain unchanged. 
Additionally, there are no planned changes in the operational 
organization, location, facilities, equipment, or procedures 
associated with the NRC licenses, and there will be no changes in 
AREVA, Inc. operating procedures, emergency procedures, or 
decommissioning financial assurance. Because the licensee remains 
the same, there will be no physical transfer of any records. All 
records concerning the safe and effective decommissioning of the 
facility, public dose, and waste disposal will remain physically 
located, maintained, and available at the Richland, Washington, 
site. EDF will abide by, and be ultimately responsible for meeting, 
all commitments and representations previously made by AREVA, Inc. 
with respect to the licenses listed above. These include, but are 
not limited to, maintaining decommissioning records, implementing 
decontamination activities, and eventually decommissioning the 
facilities and site. No physical or operational changes affecting 
the AREVA site and licensed activities were proposed in the 
Application.
    Approval of the change of control was requested pursuant to 
Section 184 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the Act), 
and Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) Sections 
70.36 and 110.50. A notice of receipt of the Application and 
opportunity to request a hearing and provide written comments was 
published in the Federal Register on June 9, 2017 (82 FR 29586-
29588). No comments or requests for a hearing were received in 
response to the notice. A corrected notice was published on November 
8, 2017 (82 FR 51880-51883), to add several export licenses omitted 
from the original Application.
    Pursuant to 10 CFR 70.36, no 10 CFR part 70 license shall be 
transferred, assigned, or in any manner disposed of, either 
voluntarily or involuntarily, directly or indirectly, unless the 
NRC, after securing full information, finds that the transfer is in 
accordance with the provisions of the Act, and gives its consent in 
writing. Pursuant to 10 CFR 110.50, a specific license under Part 
110 may be transferred, disposed of, or assigned to another person 
only with the approval of the Commission. After review of the 
information

[[Page 60422]]

in the Application, and relying on the representations and 
agreements contained in the Application, the NRC staff has 
determined that EDF is qualified to hold the ownership interests 
previously held by AREVA NP SAS, and that the transfers of ownership 
and operating interests to EDF, described in the Application, are 
otherwise consistent with applicable provisions of law, regulations, 
and previous NRC orders. These findings are subject to the 
conditions set forth below. The NRC staff further finds that: (1) 
The requested change of control will not be inimical to the common 
defense and security or to the health and safety of the public; and 
(2) the change of control will be in accordance with 10 CFR part 51 
of the NRC's environmental regulations, and all applicable 
requirements have been satisfied.
    The findings set forth above are supported by the NRC's Safety 
Evaluation Report issued with this Order.

III

    Accordingly, pursuant to Sections 161b, 161i, 183, and 184 of 
the Act; 42 U.S.C. 2201(b), 2201(i), 2233, and 2234; and 10 CFR 
70.36 and 110.50, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the Application 
regarding the indirect transfer of control over licenses listed 
above from AREVA SA to EDF is approved, subject to the following 
conditions:
    1. With respect to the licenses listed above, EDF, as stated in 
the Application, will abide by all commitments and representations 
previously made by AREVA, Inc. These include, are not limited to, 
maintaining decommissioning records and financial assurance, 
implementing decontamination activities, and eventually 
decommissioning the site.
    2. The commitments/representations made in the Application 
regarding reporting relationships and authority over safety and 
security issues and compliance with NRC requirements shall be 
adhered to and may not be modified without the prior written consent 
from the Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, 
or his designee.
    IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that AREVA, Inc. at least one (1) business 
day before all actions necessary to accomplish the indirect transfer 
of control are completed shall so inform the Director of the Office 
of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, in writing. If the 
necessary supporting actions have not been completed by March 31, 
2018, this Order shall become null and void; provided, however, 
that, upon timely written application and for good cause shown, such 
completion date may be extended by further Order.
    This Order is effective on issuance.
    For further details with respect to this Order, see the initial 
Application listed in Section II above, and the Safety Evaluation 
Report supporting this action, which are available for public 
inspection at the Commission's Public Document Room (PDR), located 
at One White Flint North, Public File Area 01-F21, 11555 Rockville 
Pike (first floor), Rockville, Maryland, and accessible, 
electronically, through the Agencywide Documents Access and 
Management System (ADAMS) Public Electronic Reading Room, on the 
internet the NRC website http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. 
Persons who do not have access to ADAMS, or who encounter problems 
in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, should contact the NRC 
PDR reference staff, by telephone, at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, 
or via email, to [email protected].

    Dated and issued this 14th day of November, 2017.

    For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Marc L. Dapas,

Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.

[FR Doc. 2017-27436 Filed 12-19-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590-01-P