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HALEU — HALEU — HALEU

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) held the 33rd Regulatory Information Conference (RIC) March 8-11, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 conference was virtual. Over 3,000 attendees including over 480 representing 46 countries. With the 2020 RIC canceled the day before it was to start, the 2019 conference was the last pre-pandemic RIC and attracted about 2,000 attendees with 142 international participants showing the reach and value of virtual communications.

Ameren Missouri recently worked with a nuclear security consulting firm to develop a plan to improve the protection strategy for Callaway Energy Center.  This plan proposed relocating current responders to four new defensive positions on elevated towers while providing an opportunity to reduce overall security force headcount.  This revised strategy was presented to Ameren executive leadership by Callaway’s Site Security leadership for approval.

Following the 1986 disastrous accident at Chernobyl, gaining independence following the fall of the former Soviet Union, two revolutions, and on-going Russian intervention, Ukraine is seeking to expand its use of commercial nuclear energy and to further reduce its dependence on Russia for energy.  

Electronuclear, which owns and operates Brazil’s nuclear power plants, is taking steps to implement the Brazil 10-year energy plan, which includes extending the Angra 1 operating license to 2044 and completing construction of Angra 3 by 2026.

During the week of March 22, 2021, USA Nuclear performed an on-site assessment of Palisades Nuclear Power Plant to determine the process and tasks to be performed in security to decommission the site safely and successfully within a pre-defined plant shutdown schedule. A separate report was developed and provided to site leadership identifying USA Nuclear’s observations and recommendations. Steven D. Root, P.E. and Senior Nuclear Engineer Consultant at USA Nuclear, conducted the subject onsite security assessment.

The Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM) is an international professional association for nuclear materials management professionals. One of its six technical divisions is the Nuclear Security and Physical Protection (NSPP) Technical Division. The INMM conducts an annual meeting where 400 – 600 technical papers are presented, usually around 100 in physical protection. In addition, INMM conducts numerous workshops every year, mentors students, produces a journal, and operates American National Standards Institute (ANS) standards committees.

There is considerable interest on the part of the U.S. Government to support the economic viability of emerging advanced reactor technologies. But for these reactors to be successful in domestic and international markets, the U.S. must reconsider regulatory requirements that were initially developed for the existing U.S. fleet of large light water reactors.

As chair of the Nuclear Security and Physical Protection (NSPP) technical division of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), USA Nuclear’s Joe Rivers conducts industry-leading technical workshops on risk-informing security. These workshops are meant to better prepare nuclear technology professionals to better protect nuclear infrastructure. Across the series, key conclusions have emerged.

Sandia National Laboratories, on behalf of the NNSA International Nuclear Security program, is creating a methodology that will allow advanced reactor (AR) developers to, in advance, assess the economic value of potential alterations of their designs to meet security requirements to send their technology overseas. Known as a “security-by-design economic tool,” in simple terms, it boils down to making up-front design changes that could increase capital costs played off against decreasing operational costs over the life of the plant. But, like all things nuclear, nothing is simple.