Appendix F to Part 50 - Policy Relating to the Siting of Fuel Reprocessing Plants and Related Waste Management Facilities
10:1.0.1.1.30.0.117.88.28 : Appendix F
Appendix F to Part 50 - Policy Relating to the Siting of Fuel
Reprocessing Plants and Related Waste Management Facilities
1. Public health and safety considerations relating to licensed
fuel reprocessing plants do not require that such facilities be
located on land owned and controlled by the Federal Government.
Such plants, including the facilities for the temporary storage of
highlevel radioactive wastes, may be located on privately owned
property.
2. A fuel reprocessing plant's inventory of high-level liquid
radioactive wastes will be limited to that produced in the prior 5
years. (For the purpose of this statement of policy, “high-level
liquid radioactive wastes” means those aqueous wastes resulting
from the operation of the first cycle solvent extraction system, or
equivalent, and the concentrated wastes from subsequent extraction
cycles, or equivalent, in a facility for reprocessing irradiated
reactor fuels.) High-level liquid radioactive wastes shall be
converted to a dry solid as required to comply with this inventory
limitation, and placed in a sealed container prior to transfer to a
Federal repository in a shipping cask meeting the requirements of
10 CFR part 71. The dry solid shall be chemically, thermally, and
radiolytically stable to the extent that the equilibrium pressure
in the sealed container will not exceed the safe operating pressure
for that container during the period from canning through a minimum
of 90 days after receipt (transfer of physical custody) at the
Federal repository. All of these high-level radioactive wastes
shall be transferred to a Federal repository no later than 10 years
following separation of fission products from the irradiated fuel.
Upon receipt, the Federal repository will assume permanent custody
of these radioactive waste materials although industry will pay the
Federal Government a charge which together with interest on
unexpended balances will be designed to defray all costs of
disposal and perpetual surveillance. The Department of Energy will
take title to the radioactive waste material upon transfer to a
Federal repository. Before retirement of the reprocessing plant
from operational status and before termination of licensing
pursuant to § 50.82, transfer of all such wastes to a Federal
repository shall be completed. Federal repositories, which will be
limited in number, will be designated later by the Commission.
3. Disposal of high-level radioactive fission product waste
material will not be permitted on any land other than that owned
and controlled by the Federal Government.
4. A design objective for fuel reprocessing plants shall be to
facilitate decontamination and removal of all significant
radioactive wastes at the time the facility is permanently
decommissioned. Criteria for the extent of decontamination to be
required upon decommissioning and license termination will be
developed in consultation with competent groups. Opportunity will
be afforded for public comment before such criteria are made
effective.
5. Applicants proposing to operate fuel reprocessing plants, in
submitting information concerning financial qualifications as
required by § 50.33(f), shall include information enabling the
Commission to determine whether the applicant is financially
qualified, among other things, to provide for the removal and
disposal of radioactive wastes, during operation and upon
decommissioning of the facility, in accordance with the
Commission's regulations, including the requirements set out in
this appendix.
6. With respect to fuel reprocessing plants already licensed,
the licenses will be appropriately conditioned to carry out the
purposes of the policy stated above with respect to high-level
radioactive fission product wastes generated after installation of
new equipment for interim storage of liquid wastes, or after
installation of equipment required for solidification without
interim liquid storage. In either case, such equipment shall be
installed at the earliest practicable date, taking into account the
time required for design, procurement and installation thereof.
With respect to such plants, the application of the policy stated
in this appendix to existing wastes and to wastes generated prior
to the installation of such equipment, will be the subject of a
further rulemaking proceeding.
[35 FR 17533, Nov. 14, 1970, as amended at 36 FR 5411, Mar. 23,
1971; 42 FR 20139, Apr. 18, 1977; 45 FR 14201, Mar. 5, 1980; 70 FR
3599, Jan. 26, 2005]