Strategic Basis for License Application Planning for a Potential Yucca Mountain Repository
If Yucca Mountain, Nevada is designated as the site for development of a geologic repository for disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, the Department of Energy (DOE) must obtain Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval first for repository construction, then for an operating license, and, eventually, for repository closure and decommissioning. The licensing criteria defined in Code of Federal Regulations, Title 10, Part 63 (10 CFR Part 63) establish the basis for these NRC decisions. Submittal of a license application (LA) to the NRC for authorization to construct a repository at the Yucca Mountain site is, at this point, only a potential future action by the DOE. The policy process defined in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), as amended, for recommendation and designation of Yucca Mountain as a repository site makes it difficult to predict whether or when the site might be designated. The DOE may only submit a LA to the NRC if the site designation takes effect. In spite of this uncertainty, the DOE must take prudent and appropriate action now, and over the next several years, to prepare for development and timely submittal of a LA. This is particularly true given the need for the DOE to develop, load, and certify the operation of its electronic information system to provide access to its relevant records as part of the licensing support network (LSN) in compliance with NRC requirements six months prior to LA submittal. The DOE must also develop a LA, which is a substantially different document from those developed to support a Site Recommendation (SR) decision. The LA must satisfy NRC licensing criteria and content requirements, and address the acceptance criteria defined by the NRC in its forthcoming Yucca Mountain Review Plan (YMRP). The content of the LA must be adequate to facilitate NRC acceptance and docketing for review, and the LA and its supporting documents must provide the documented basis for the NR C findings required for a construction authorization. The LA must also support a licensing proceeding before an Atomic Safety and Licensing Board panel prior to NRC action on any decision to authorize construction. The DOE has established a strategic basis for planning that is intended to provide the framework for development of an integrated plan for activities leading to preparation and submittal of a LA.
- Research Organization:
- U. S. Department of Energy, Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Office P.O. Box 364629, M/S 523, N. Las Vegas, NV (US); Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. 1551 Hillshire Drive, M/S 471, Las Vegas, NV (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (RW) (US)
- OSTI ID:
- 830023
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Waste Management 2002 Symposium, Tucson, AZ (US), 02/24/2002--02/28/2002; Other Information: PBD: 26 Feb 2002
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Management Plan for the Development of the License Application for a High Level Waste Repository at Yucca Mountain, Rev. 0
ENGINEERED BARRIER SYSTEM FEATURES, EVENTS AND PROCESSES
Related Subjects
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
CLOSURES
COMPLIANCE
CONSTRUCTION
DECOMMISSIONING
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
LICENSE APPLICATIONS
LICENSING
NUCLEAR FUELS
NUCLEAR WASTE POLICY ACTS
OPERATING LICENSES
REGULATIONS
SAFETY
WASTE MANAGEMENT
YUCCA MOUNTAIN