[Federal Register: August 7, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 151)]
[Notices]
[Page 44673-44676]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07au06-52]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Notice of Request for Expressions of Interest in an Advanced
Burner Reactor To Support the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
AGENCY: Office of Nuclear Energy, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of request for expressions of interest.
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SUMMARY: Based upon feedback since the President of the United States
announced the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) in February
2006, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is seeking Expressions of
Interest (EOI) from domestic and international industry in building an
Advanced Burner Reactor (ABR). An ABR in the United States would
establish a fast reactor capability to be used to transmute fuel and
consume transuranic elements within the fuel, generate electricity, and
support implementation of GNEP. DOE is also seeking to define the
interest of industry to build upon their proven capabilities and
participate in demonstrating spent nuclear fuel (SNF) recycling
technologies that meet GNEP goals. This EOI will help inform DOE's GNEP
Program as to those issues that industry and potential host sites
consider important to the construction of sustainable, commercial-scale
SNF recycling technologies that meet GNEP objectives. The information
gained from this EOI will be used to create Requests for Proposals
(RFP) for the proposed ABR.
DATES: Interested parties wishing to submit an EOI should do so in
writing by September 8, 2006, to ensure their input is considered. A
briefing for respondents to learn about DOE's baseline plan and answer
EOI-related questions will be held on August 14, 2006, 8 am-12 pm, in
the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The specific meeting location
will be announced on the GNEP Web site, http://www.gnep.energy.gov.
Please indicate your interest in attending the briefing by sending an
e-mail indicating your intent to attend to
GNEP_EOI_RSVP@nuclear.energy.gov. It is recognized that GNEP is moving forward
on an aggressive schedule that will task all of the responders'
abilities to provide quality information in a short period of time. DOE
believes that GNEP can help to revitalize the U.S. nuclear industry and
improve its global competitive position. Early participation by
industry in this effort will greatly maximize GNEP's success.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: By postal mail, Mr. John F. Gross,
Mail
[[Page 44674]]
Stop: NE-2.4/Germantown, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington DC
20585-0119; by phone on 301-903-3918; by e-mail at
GNEP_EOI_RSVP@nuclear.energy.gov.
ADDRESSES: Please send all hardcopy Expressions of Interest to Mr. John
F. Gross, Mail Stop: NE-2.4/Germantown, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0119. Electronic
versions of the Expressions of Interest may be submitted in pdf
(portable document format) format by e-mail to
GNEP_EOI_RSVP@nuclear.energy.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
As part of President Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative, DOE has
launched the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). The broad goals
of GNEP are described in the Report to Congress--Spent Nuclear Fuel
Recycling Program Plan issued May 2006, http://www.gnep.energy.gov/pdfs/snfRecyclingProgframPanMay2006.pdf
.
A major element of GNEP is the development and deployment of
advanced nuclear fuel recycling technologies. In general, advanced
recycling technologies focus on three operations:
(1) Separate commercial LWR SNF into its usable and waste
components.
Spent nuclear fuel contains uranium, transuranics (plutonium and
other long-lived radioactive elements), and fission products. The
fission products are waste and make up less than five percent of the
used fuel. Buildup of fission products within the fuel inhibits nuclear
fission reactions so the spent fuel must be replaced with fresh fuel
for continued operation of a nuclear reactor. The transuranics and
uranium in SNF would be separated from the fission products and then
fabricated into new fuel for a fast reactor to consume the transuranics
and uranium while simultaneously recovering their energy content. The
SNF recycling program would use advanced separation processes (e.g.,
Uranium Extraction Plus or other comparable processes).
(2) Fabricate and recycle fast reactor fuel containing transuranic
elements.
Fabricating, testing, and qualifying fast reactor fuel containing
transuranic and actinide elements (i.e., transmutation fuel), obtained
from recycled spent fast reactor fuel, is required to provide fresh
fuel for the reactor. After the qualification of transmutation fuel,
the GNEP facilities would demonstrate recycle of fast reactor
transmutation fuel and eventually could include the construction of a
separate transmutation fuel separations and fabrication facility.
(3) Convert transuranics into shorter-lived radioisotopes while
producing electricity.
Fast reactors produce high-energy neutrons that can fission long-
lived transuranics, thus converting the transuranics into shorter-lived
radioisotopes. As the transuranics are consumed, significant energy is
released that can be used to produce electricity from material that
would otherwise be considered waste and potentially require disposal in
a geologic repository.
The Department initially announced an approach that would
demonstrate technologies from the laboratory at engineering scale,
prior to a second phase of commercialization. This approach is
described in the Report to Congress--Spent Nuclear Fuel Recycling
Program Plan issued May 2006, http://www.gnep.energy.gov/pdfs/snfRecyclingProgframPanMay2006.pdf.
Following the announcement of the GNEP Program by the President, a
number of foreign governments and private companies expressed interest
in cooperating in the near-term with the Department in the development
and deployment of advanced recycling technologies. Some of these
entities indicated they are pursuing similar technologies and, in some
cases, these technologies may be ready for deployment prior to those
currently under development by the Department. In light of this
information, DOE seeks to determine the feasibility of accelerating the
development and deployment of advanced recycling technologies that
would enable commercial scale demonstrations that meet GNEP objectives.
These demonstrations would utilize industry expertise to build the
well-understood stages of advanced technology for the separation of LWR
SNF, and the construction and operation of a fast reactor, while
designing in the modules for incorporating group separation of
actinides, transmutation fuel production, burning, and recycling
operations.
This approach would involve two simultaneous tracks: (1) Deployment
of commercial scale facilities for which advanced technologies are
available now or in the near future and (2) further research and
development on transmutation fuels technologies. This two-track
approach could result in two commercial scale facilities, one of which
is the subject of this EOI. These facilities are:
Consolidated Fuel Treatment Center (CFTC)--a facility to
separate the usable uranium and transuranics from spent light-water
reactor fuel for use in fabricating fast reactor fuel. During the
second track the CFTC would be augmented or a separate transmutation
fuel separations and fabrication facility would be constructed to
separate and fabricate fast reactor transmutation fuel.
Advanced Burner Reactor (ABR; subject of this EOI)--fast
reactor to use transmutation fuel and consume transuranic elements
within the fuel and generate electricity. The ABR is expected to be
qualified with conventional fast reactor fuel. Subsequently, the ABR
would be used to demonstrate the feasibility of recycling fast reactor
transmutation fuel.
A third facility, the Advanced Fuel Cycle Facility (AFCF), will be
designed and directed through DOE's national laboratories and will
support development of the technologies required to separate and
fabricate fast reactor transmutation fuel. The AFCF is not currently a
subject of a Request for Expressions of Interest.
ABR Characteristics
DOE prefers to constrain as little as possible this EOI on the fuel
cycle pathway to meet GNEP goals. Industry's input is valuable in
considering the ultimate technical and pragmatic configuration of
GNEP's closed fuel cycle. Some rough parameters for considering the
ultimate characteristics of an ABR for the GNEP Technology
Demonstration Program are set out below. They simply illustrate the
type of information DOE is requesting in this EOI and respondents
should not interpret the following information as a final decision from
DOE on the ABR's characteristics or the overall demonstration program.
The responses to this EOI may significantly influence subsequent RFPs.
Desired ABR General Characteristics
The ABR is essential to perform key functions in support of GNEP
technology development objectives, including:
Providing a fast neutron reactor necessary to consume the
transuranic and actinide elements contained in transmutation fuel,
i.e., fuel that is fabricated from uranium, plutonium, and other
transuranics found in light water reactor (LWR) spent fuel.
Generating and providing electricity to a power grid and
contribute to commercial sustainability. Thus, the ABR would consume
transuranic elements in fuel made possible by other key elements of the
technology program: separation of LWR and fast reactor SNF into their
usable components and the
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fabrication of transmutation fuel from those components.
Consuming transuranic elements separated from LWR SNF. See
the Consolidated Fuel Treatment Center (CFTC) EOI for a discussion of
that element.
Ensuring that facility designs meet U.S. standards for
safeguards and security.
Developing this complete system to support GNEP remains the central
objective, drawing upon the expertise and capabilities of industry and
international partners to achieve it. Further,
The ABR shall safely and reliably perform its power generation and
transmutation functions. The ABR shall be capable of being licensed by
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and operated in accordance
with NRC regulations. The ABR shall incorporate design features and
technologies to promote reliable system performance during normal
operations and in response to postulated accident scenarios.
The ABR shall be designed such that the future cost of
electrical power generation using ABRs can be shown to be economical,
with a goal of being competitive with Advanced Light Water Reactors,
reasonably accounting for any externalities.
ABRs shall be capable of generating power through the net
destruction of transuranic material.
The strategy for potential development of ABRs shall be
made to be as affordable as possible without introducing undue risk
into the development effort so as to place in serious jeopardy the
potential to successfully achieve the ABR mission.
To support timely implementation supportive of GNEP goals,
the ABR system shall be capable of commercial deployment as early as
possible.
Example Technical Characteristics of the ABR
Reactor neutron energy spectrum: Fast.
Reactor technology: Pool-type sodium cooled.
Power conversion technology: Steam-Rankine or Super-
critical CO2 Brayton Cycle.
Reactor fuel type: Oxide or metal based.
Reactor unit thermal power: 500 MWt-2000 MWt.
Electrical power from reactor unit: 200 MWe-800 MWe,
generated electricity can be provided to a commercial power grid.
For modular approach, technology for reactor unit should
be scalable to higher power levels up to at least 1 GWe.
The ABR would have the capability of being started on
conventional fast reactor driver fuel, transitioned to full core
operation on transmutation fuel, and provide a capability for
transmuting minor actinide targets prior to this transition.
Process storage capacity: Sufficient process storage
capacity should be included to support full-scale plant operations,
including storage of spent fuel prior to recycling.
Geographic
The reactor may be collocated with the SNF processing and
fuel fabrication operations. This is not a requirement but rather a
possibility.
Regulatory
Must comply with all environmental protection laws and
regulations.
Must be capable of being licensed under NRC regulations
applicable to demonstration operations on privately owned land
regardless of where the demonstration is sited.
Content of EOI
The following items identify the information that DOE is requesting
in this EOI. All respondents are encouraged to provide information
beyond that requested if it is believed to be beneficial to their
responses.
1. Level of Interest and Proposed Scope of Interest
Please describe how you believe DOE could accelerate successful
demonstration of SNF integrated recycling technologies to advance the
goals of GNEP. Describe the approach that you believe should be taken
to accomplish this goal, including its benefits and risks, and describe
your level of interest or potential participation. Also, provide a
description of what you believe your approach does to advance the broad
goals of GNEP (as described, for example, in the Background section).
In particular, for the ABR, DOE is interested in:
a. What reactor unit size (MWt) would be proposed by industry to
achieve the ABR mission, and what reactor size would be proposed for
the demonstration program (e.g., sub-scale, full-size module)?
b. What set of reactor system technologies (e.g., basic type of
fuel, reactor and power conversion technologies) is proposed to achieve
the ABR mission?
c. What would the general fuel qualification approach and schedule
be for initial driver fuel and transmutation fuel? Identify the basic
in-reactor tests and facilities that would be used to support fuel
qualification.
d. In addition to advanced reactor systems, what research and
development (R&D) on near-term water-cooled reactor approaches could be
pursued to support transmutation of transuranics consistent with the
goals of GNEP?
2. Proposed Roles of Parties Involved
Please identify who you believe the parties to such a venture
should include and the role of each party. Parties could include U.S.
Government and foreign government agencies, state and local government
agencies, nongovernmental organizations, domestic and foreign
commercial firms (e.g., Architect & Engineering (A&E) firms, component
manufacturers, electric utility companies, etc.) or any other entity
you may identify that fits into your proposed solution. Your statement
should clearly identify the role each party would play in ensuring the
success of your proposition, whether direct or indirect. Examples of
roles include, but are not limited to, providing financing,
guaranteeing financing, A&E services, construction, facility
operations, program or project management, regulatory compliance
support, and hardware vendor. Provide an assessment of the benefit to
the U.S. Government and GNEP of your proposed parties and their roles.
Also, provide a description of the benefits that would accrue to each
of the parties in this venture. Benefits could include, but are not
limited to, financial gain, intellectual property, market position,
facilities, education, and advancing policy goals.
3. Resources
For each entity you have identified in Item 2 above, provide
specifics describing the resources each party could provide to ensure
the program's success. These resources may include, but are not limited
to, financial, existing or new facilities, personnel (include a
description of the type of personnel, e.g., technical, management,
regulatory, financial, etc.), intellectual property, and leased
equipment.
4. Proposed Contractual Vehicle
Please provide a description of the contractual vehicle(s) you feel
should be employed in furtherance of your approach. Examples may
include, but are not limited to, contracts, financial assistance,
Cooperative Research and
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Development Agreements, loan guarantees, other transactional
arrangements. Please limit your suggestions to those contractual
authorities already granted to DOE or other government agencies you
identify.
5. Areas of Technology Development Required for Potential
Commercialization
Please identify what technical areas associated with your approach
would benefit from additional research, development or demonstration
(RD&D) activities, how and to what extent this RD&D would mitigate
technical or technology risk, estimated timeframes to accomplish this
RD&D, parties performing the activities, and other technical issues
that need to be addressed.
6. Government Furnished Data/Technology/Equipment
Describe what, if any, government furnished data, technology, or
equipment you would require to accomplish your defined approach. State
whether you have any existing rights or license for the use of the data
or technology, and if not, how you would pursue acquiring such rights.
Confidentiality
Confidential or business sensitive information contained in the
submission must be identified and marked accordingly. DOE will protect
this information from public disclosure to the extent permitted by law.
This EOI is not a formal solicitation requesting proposals and does
not represent a commitment by the Government to award a contract. The
Government does not intend to formally respond to information submitted
in response to this EOI. The Government is not responsible for costs
incurred to submit a response to this EOI, conducting other activities
associated with pre-solicitation planning, or submitting a proposal in
response to a solicitation, if issued.
Issued in Washington, DC, on July 31, 2006.
Dennis R. Spurgeon,
Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy.
[FR Doc. E6-12747 Filed 8-4-06; 8:45 am]
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