William D. Magwood, IV Commissioner March 16, 2012 · fukushima daiichi on march 11 . ... areva’s us epr, mitsubishi’s us-apwr, and ge-hitachi’s esbwr as well as revisions to

William D. Magwood, IV Commissioner

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William D. Magwood, IV Commissioner

March 16, 2012

George Washington University School of International Affairs

• The Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 divided the Atomic Energy Commission into a “promotional” technology development agency – the Department of Energy – and a regulatory agency – the NRC.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Who We Are

• NRC is 4000 people dedicated to assuring the safe and secure use of nuclear materials in the United States in order to protect and safety of the American people.

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Presenter

Presentation Notes

THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION BEGAN OPERATIONS IN 1975. A LAW WAS PASSED BY THE U.S. CONGRESS IN 1974 CALLED THE ENERGY REORGANIZATION ACT THAT SPLIT THE REGULATORY DUTIES OF THE FORMER ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION FROM THE PROMOTIONAL DUTIES. THE PROMOTIONAL DUTIES WERE GIVEN TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND THE DUTIES ASSOCIATED WITH PROTECTING PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY FOR THE CIVILIAN OR COMMERCIAL USE OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL WERE ASSIGNED TO THE NRC.

The NRC licenses and regulates fuel cycle facilities, medical and industrial applications of radioactive materials, and any

other civilian activity that involves radiological safety.

Nuclear Technology is Everywhere And NRC is there

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Presenter

Presentation Notes

NOW YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT NEW REACTORS IN THE NEWS. THE NRC ANTICIPATED AN INCREASE IN APPLICATIONS FOR NEW REACTORS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. WE CHANGED OUR REGULATIONS SEVERAL YEARS AGO TO ALLOW FOR A MORE STREAMLINED APPROVAL PROCESS FOR NEW REACTORS. THIS PROCESS ALLOWS FOR CERTIFYING A DESIGN SEPARATE FROM THE SITE AT WHICH THE REACTOR WOULD BE BUILT AND LICENSING A PLANT FOR BOTH CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION – POSSIBLY BY REFERENCING A PREVIOUSLY CERTIFIED DESIGN. THE AGENCY HAS BEEN REVIEWING DESIGNS FOR NEW REACTORS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. SO FAR THE AGENCY HAS CERTIFIED FOUR DESIGNS: THE GENERAL ELECTRIC ABWR THE WESTINGHOUSE (FORMERLY COMBUSTION ENGINEERING ) SYSTEM 80+ THE WESTINGHOUSE AP 600 AND AP 1000. WE ARE ALSO REVIEWING THREE NEW DESIGNS – AREVA’S US EPR, MITSUBISHI’S US-APWR, AND GE-HITACHI’S ESBWR AS WELL AS REVISIONS TO THE AP 1000 AND TOSHIBA’S VERSION OF GE’s ABWR. WE HAVE RECEIVED 17 LICENSE APPLICATIONS FOR 26 REACTORS. THE DESIGNS MENTIONED ABOVE WILL BE INCLUDED IN THESE APPLICATIONS. Note: All figures are from the NRC photo gallery on the public website.

NRC in 2011 Prepared for the Unexpected

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Clockwise: Flooding at Ft. Calhoun; NRC EOC Staff Tracking Hurricane Irene; National News Coverage of East Coast Quake

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Fukushima Daiichi March 11, 2011 and Beyond

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The Energy Picture in Japan Before Fukushima

Coal 26%

Oil 13%

Gas 26%

Nuclear 24%

Hydro 8%

Renewables 1% Biomass/Waste

2%

Electricity Production in Japan (2008)

• Japan imports about 80% of its energy – mostly oil and LNG from the Middle East

• Japan has 54 power reactors,

the third largest nuclear energy commitment in the world (estimated contribution = 30% of Japanese production in 2010)

• Japan established a long-term

plan to expand nuclear capacity to provide 40% of electricity production by 2017.

Fukushima Daiichi Before the Tsunami

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• 4696 MWe Nuclear Power Plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company

• Six Boiling Water Reactors

(BWRs) based on US designs– brought on-line between 1971 and 1979

• Most of the plant’s output

was used to provide electricity to Tokyo

• TEPCO had planned to

construct two advanced BWRs at the site beginning in 2012

Fukushima Daiichi on March 11 A Bad Day At the Plant

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• Magnitude 9.0 earthquake followed by 15 meter tsunami at the plant

• Extended Station Blackout

• Batteries depleted and subsequent loss of all reactor cooling

• Core damage in units 1, 2, and 3

• Hydrogen explosions in reactor buildings housing units 1, 3, and 4

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U.S. Embassy Japan Focal point for relief efforts and information point for American

citizens in Japan

AID • Coordinated overall USG

relief efforts. • Deployed a Disaster

Assistance Response Team to support emergency response.

• Provided $6.3 million in humanitarian assistance, including urban search and rescue (USAR) activities.

DoD • Provided $88.6

million in humanitarian assistance

• Conducted USAR operations and transport of USAR cargo

• Delivered tons of water, food and medical supplies to affected areas, as well as personnel.

• Assured safety of U.S. military personnel based in Japan.

U.S. Government Response Multi-Agency Assistance NRC

• Provided modeling and analytical support to U.S. and Japanese organizations.

• Deployed expert team to Japan with experience including: - BWR reactor safety systems - Dose assessment - Protective measures

HHS • Provided expert

advice regarding the use of potassium iodide or the need to switch to bottled water for Americans in Japan

DOE /NNSA • Provided

specialized robotic equipment to Japan

• Conducted various nuclear analyses

• Provided aerial measurement systems

• Conducted thousands of air and field samples in Japan

• Analyzed samples at U.S. national labs

FEMA • Deployed search

and rescue teams to Japan to conduct missions utilizing canines and listening devices

After Fukushima Learn the Big Lessons

• Understand the Risks Facing Each Plant

• We Can’t Predict Every Event

• Recovering from Disaster is At Least as Important as Preparing for Disaster

• Potential for Common Cause Failure of On-Site and Off-Site AC Power

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NRC Near-Term Task Force U.S. Plants Are Safe

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• No imminent risk from continued nuclear power plant operation and licensing activities.

• Similar events in the U.S. very unlikely.

• Mitigation measures already in place could reduce the likelihood of core damage and radiological releases.

• 12 Technical recommendations to further enhance U.S. nuclear safety.

NRC Response Key Elements of Prioritized Actions

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• Reevaluation of All External Hazards for Each Plant

• Enhanced Station Black Out Rulemaking

• Mitigating Strategies for Beyond Design Basis Events

• Installation of Reliable Hardened Vents for BWR Mark I and Mark II Containments

• New Spent Fuel Instrumentation Requirements

• Integration of Emergency Procedures

• Staffing and Communications for Multiunit Events

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What’s Next? At Fukushima - Site Stabilization is Underway

Only 2 units out of 54 are in operation.

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What’s Next? Impacts on Japanese Nuclear Power

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What’s Next? In the US - New Policy Questions

• Should We Further Revise our Approach to Emergency Planning?

• Do We Need a New Regulatory Regime to Address Beyond Design Bases Events?

• Do We Need to Revise Our Regulatory Approach to Look Beyond Safety and Address Large Socio-economic Disruptions?

ABWR

US EPR

US APWR

What Next? Still On Track to Evaluate New Plants

AP1000

ESBWR

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The NRC continues to review Generation III+ designs and 10 license applications to build new advanced LWR power plants in the U.S.

Presenter

Presentation Notes

NOW YOU HAVE PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT NEW REACTORS IN THE NEWS. THE NRC ANTICIPATED AN INCREASE IN APPLICATIONS FOR NEW REACTORS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. WE CHANGED OUR REGULATIONS SEVERAL YEARS AGO TO ALLOW FOR A MORE STREAMLINED APPROVAL PROCESS FOR NEW REACTORS. THIS PROCESS ALLOWS FOR CERTIFYING A DESIGN SEPARATE FROM THE SITE AT WHICH THE REACTOR WOULD BE BUILT AND LICENSING A PLANT FOR BOTH CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION – POSSIBLY BY REFERENCING A PREVIOUSLY CERTIFIED DESIGN. THE AGENCY HAS BEEN REVIEWING DESIGNS FOR NEW REACTORS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. SO FAR THE AGENCY HAS CERTIFIED FOUR DESIGNS: THE GENERAL ELECTRIC ABWR THE WESTINGHOUSE (FORMERLY COMBUSTION ENGINEERING ) SYSTEM 80+ THE WESTINGHOUSE AP 600 AND AP 1000. WE ARE ALSO REVIEWING THREE NEW DESIGNS – AREVA’S US EPR, MITSUBISHI’S US-APWR, AND GE-HITACHI’S ESBWR AS WELL AS REVISIONS TO THE AP 1000 AND TOSHIBA’S VERSION OF GE’s ABWR. WE HAVE RECEIVED 17 LICENSE APPLICATIONS FOR 26 REACTORS. THE DESIGNS MENTIONED ABOVE WILL BE INCLUDED IN THESE APPLICATIONS. Note: All figures are from the NRC photo gallery on the public website.

U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Projects The Work Continues

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Georgia Power is beginning full scale construction after receipt

of a combined Construction and Operating License from the NRC

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SCANA has built a large Module Assembly Building and other construction-support facilities at the

V.C. Summer site near Jenkinsville, SC as it prepares to build two AP1000s.

U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Projects The Work Continues

Presenter

Presentation Notes

I personally believe we will continue to move forward in the nuclear area. The NRC strongly believes that the reactors are operating in the United States are doing so in a safe manner. All U.S. nuclear plants are built to withstand environmental hazards, including earthquakes and tsunamis. Even those nuclear plants that are located within areas with low and moderate seismic activity are designed to take into account rare and extreme events. In addition to the design of the plants, significant effort goes into emergency response planning and accident management. NRC staff expects to complete its safety and environmental reviews for the Vogtle and Summer applications this year. After these reviews are complete and the Commission holds hearings, combined licenses will be issued for these plants.

Small Modular Reactors An Option for the Future?

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• A New Deployment Model—Modules can come online as investment continues to build additional units

• Higher Flexibility—small reactors can be deployed in more places by a wider range of users

• Manufacturability—enables factory construction of more or less complete units, increasing quality and reducing cost, uncertainty, and schedule risk

NuScale

mPower

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WWW.NRC.GOV WWW.NRC.GOV

Documents

William D. Magwood, IV Commissioner March 16, 2012 · fukushima daiichi on march 11 . ... areva’s us epr, mitsubishi’s us-apwr, and ge-hitachi’s esbwr as well as revisions to