NRC: News Release - 2004-154 - NRC to Hold Predecisional Enforcement Conference on Duke Amendment Request for Catawba Nuclear Station

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NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
Office of Public Affairs	Telephone: 301/415-8200
Washington, DC 20555-0001	E-mail: opa@nrc.gov
www.nrc.gov

No. 04-154

December 7, 2004

NRC TO HOLD PREDECISIONAL ENFORCEMENT CONFERENCE
ON DUKE AMENDMENT REQUEST FOR CATAWBA NUCLEAR STATION
Printable Version

Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials will hold a predecisional enforcement conference with Duke Energy Corp. Dec. 17 in Rockville, Md., to discuss three apparent violations of NRC requirements. The apparent violations are related to Duke’s license amendment request to allow the use of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel at its Catawba Nuclear Station 17 miles from Charlotte, N.C.

The enforcement conference will be from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Room T-2B3, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville. The public is invited to observe the meeting, and will have an opportunity to communicate with NRC officials after the business portion, but before the meeting is adjourned.

Two of the alleged violations involve the completeness and accuracy of Duke’s license amendment request and the third involves a failure to periodically update the Final Safety Analysis Report for the Catawba plant. The proposed amendment would allow Duke to use four MOX assemblies at Catawba. MOX contains a mixture of plutonium and uranium oxides. The Duke request is part of a joint U.S.-Russian Federation program to dispose of surplus plutonium from nuclear weapons by converting the material into MOX fuel for use in nuclear reactors.

The conference is an opportunity for company officials to provide their perspective on the apparent violations and to offer any other information that they believe the NRC should take into consideration in making an enforcement decision. No decision on the apparent violations or any enforcement action will be made at the conference. Those decisions will be made later by NRC officials.