Reprocessing
Reprocessing refers generally to the processes necessary to separate spent nuclear reactor fuel into material that may be recycled for use in new fuel and material that would be discarded as waste. There are no reprocessing facilities currently operating in the United States, but there are facilities operating in foreign countries.
On this page:
- Upcoming Public Meetings
- Recent Public Meetings
- Related Technical Presentations
- Related Commission Papers (SECY)
- Related Staff Requirements Memoranda (SRMs)
- Background
- Additional Documents
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Upcoming Public Meetings
For upcoming meetings, see our Public Meeting Schedule. Information for the meetings on this page is available at this Web site or in the ADAMS if an accession number is given.
Recent Public Meetings
The following table lists, in chronological order, the public meetings that the NRC staff has conducted to discuss the regulatory efforts regarding reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.
Public Meetings and Other Interactions | |
---|---|
Meeting Date | Subject |
06/21/2011 |
Public meeting to discuss potential rulemaking for spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities. Presentations
Handout |
10/19/2010 and 10/20/2010 |
Public workshop to discuss major issues associated with the development of a regulatory framework for a potential rulemaking for spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities (Albuquerque, NM). Transcripts Presentations
|
08/07/2010 and 08/08/2010 |
Public workshop to discuss major issues associated with the development of a regulatory framework for a potential rulemaking for spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities (Rockville, MD). Transcripts Presentations
Handouts |
05/13/2010 | Public meeting with NRC staff and NEI representatives to discuss NRC’s ongoing activities related to revising the regulatory framework for spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. The meeting included the following presentations from NRC staff and NEI representatives:
|
10/28/2009 | Public meeting to address:
|
09/18/2009 | Public meeting to discuss the current work being done to develop a regulatory framework for reprocessing. The meeting included the following presentations from NRC management and staff:
|
02/26/2009 | Meeting with Nuclear Energy Institute on its White Paper regarding a proposed regulatory framework for licensing spent fuel reprocessing facilities. |
Related Technical Presentations
Seminar Date | Subject |
---|---|
12/08/2010 | DOE Seminar on Reprocessing - Transmutation |
07/28/2010 | DOE Seminar on Reprocessing - 40 CFR Part 190 |
Related Commission Papers (SECY)
Document number | Description | Date |
---|---|---|
SECY-11-0163 | Reprocessing Rulemaking: Draft Regulatory Basis and Path Forward | 11/18/2011 |
SECY-09-0082 | Update on Reprocessing Regulatory Framework - Summary of Gap Analysis | 05/28/2009 |
SECY-08-0134 | Regulatory Structure for Spent Fuel Reprocessing | 09/12/2008 |
SECY-07-0198 | Performance and Coordination of the Regulatory Framework for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership | 11/07/2007 |
SECY-07-0081 | Regulatory Options for Licensing Facilities Associated with the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership | 05/15/2007 |
SECY-06-0066 | Regulatory and Resource Implications of a Department of Energy Spent Nuclear Fuel Recycling Program | 05/16/2006 |
Related Staff Requirement Memoranda (SRM’s)
Document number | Description | Date |
---|---|---|
SRM-SECY-07-0081 | Staff Requirements - Regulatory Options for Licensing Facilities Associated with the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) | 06/28/2007 |
SRM-SECY-06-0066 | Staff Requirements - Regulatory and Resource Implications of a Department of Energy Spent Nuclear Fuel Recycling Program | 05/16/2006 |
Background
In 2007, the Commission directed the staff to complete an analysis of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) to identify regulatory gaps for licensing an advanced reprocessing facility and recycling reactor.
In mid-2008, two nuclear industry companies informed the agency of their intent to seek a license for a reprocessing facility in the U.S. An additional company expressed its support for updating the regulatory framework for reprocessing, but stopped short of stating its intent to seek a license for such a facility. At the time, the staff also noted that progress on some Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) initiatives had waned and it appeared appropriate to shift the focus of the staff’s efforts from specific GNEP-facility regulations to a more broadly applicable framework for commercial reprocessing facilities.
Additional Documents
- Risk-Informed Decisionmaking for Nuclear Material and Waste Applications
- Reprocessing Gap Analysis Summary
- Reprocessing Path Forward
- Memo to Commission: Annual Update on reprocessing Activities- Timeline for Completion of Regulatory Framework
- Federal Register Notice for Appendix P to 10 CFR Part 50 (1974) - General Design Criteria for Fuel Reprocessing Plants, Federal Register, Volume 39, NO. 139 - July 18th, 1974
- Federal Register Notice for Appendix Q to 10 CFR Part 50 (1974) - Design Criteria for Protection of Fuel Reprocessing Plants and Licensed Material Therein, Federal Register, Volume 39, NO. 139 - July 18th, 1974
- NEI White Paper: Regulatory Framework for Recycling Nuclear Fuel - NEI White Paper, December 19, 2008
- NEI White Paper - Appendix A: Establishing the Regulatory Framework to License Fuel Cycle Facilities - December 19, 2008
- Transmittal Letter for NEI White Paper: Integrated Safety Analysis: Why It Is Appropriate for Fuel Recycling Facilities, September 10, 2010
- Attachment - NEI White Paper Integrated Safety Analysis: Why It Is Appropriate for Fuel Recycling Facilities, September 10, 2010
- Draft: NRC Staff Considerations on a Comparison of Integrated Safety Analysis to Probabilistic Risk Assessment
- Federal Register Notice for Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities Technical Specifications (1973) - Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, Federal Register, Volume 38, No 84 - May 2, 1973, p 10815
- Federal Register Notice for Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities Technical Specifications (1973) - Licensing of Production and Utilization Facilities, Federal Register, Volume 38, No 84 - May 2, 1973, p 10816