Notice2021-20546
Notice of Availability of Draft Construction and Demonstration of a Prototype Mobile Microreactor Environmental Impact Statement
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Published
September 24, 2021
Issuing agencies
Defense Department
Abstract
The DoD, acting through SCO and with the United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) serving as a cooperating agency, announces the availability of the Draft Construction and Demonstration of a Prototype Mobile Microreactor Environmental Impact Statement. SCO is also announcing a public comment period and public hearings on the Draft EIS. SCO prepared the Draft EIS to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of alternatives for constructing and operating a prototype mobile microreactor capable of producing 1 to 5 megawatts of electrical power (MWe).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 183 (Friday, September 24, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 183 (Friday, September 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53039-53041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20546]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
Notice of Availability of Draft Construction and Demonstration of
a Prototype Mobile Microreactor Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO), Office of the Secretary,
Department of Defense (DoD).
ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearings; request for
comment.
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SUMMARY: The DoD, acting through SCO and with the United States (U.S.)
Department of Energy (DOE) serving as a cooperating agency, announces
the availability of the Draft Construction and Demonstration of a
Prototype Mobile Microreactor Environmental Impact Statement. SCO is
also announcing a public comment period and public hearings on the
Draft EIS. SCO prepared the Draft EIS to evaluate the potential
environmental impacts of alternatives for constructing and operating a
prototype mobile microreactor capable of producing 1 to 5 megawatts of
electrical power (MWe).
DATES: Comments are due by November 8, 2021.
Public hearings:
1. October 20, 2021, 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain time, Fort Hall,
ID (livestreamed)
2. October 20, 2021, 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mountain time, Fort Hall,
ID (livestreamed)
ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments on the Draft EIS by any of
the following methods:
Mail: Mobile Microreactor EIS Comment, c/o Leidos, 2109 Air Park Rd
SE, Suite 200, Albuquerque, NM 87106.
Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c191848d849e8f84918081b2a2aeefaca8ad"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4616030a03190803160706352529682b2f2a">[email protected]</span></a>.
Online: <a href="https://www.mobilemicroreactoreis.com">https://www.mobilemicroreactoreis.com</a>.
The Draft EIS is available for review online at the website listed
above. Send requests to be placed on the Draft EIS distribution list to
receive future updates to the email listed above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Jeff Waksman, Program Manager;
Mail: Strategic Capabilities Office, 1155 Defense Pentagon, Washington,
DC 20301-1155; Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d383969f968c9d96839293a0b0bcfdbebabf"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="04544148415b4a4154454477676b2a696d68">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The DoD consumes around 30 terawatt hours of electricity per year
and more than 10 million gallons of fuel per day. Additionally,
military operational projections predict that energy demand will
continue to increase significantly over the next few years.
Prioritizing climate change considerations in national security will
require explorations of energy-generating resources that create a
sustainable climate pathway. Energy delivery and management continues
to be a critical defensive risk. The challenge is to develop more
sustainable methods to provide reliable, abundant, and continuous
energy. Inherent dangers, logistical complexities, and overwhelming
costs of sustaining power demands at Forward Operating Bases, Remote
Operating Bases, and Expeditionary Bases using diesel generators
continue to constrain operations and fundamental strategic planning.
Additionally, technologies currently under development, such as
unmanned aerial vehicles, new radar systems, new weapon systems, and
the electrification of the non-tactical vehicle fleet, will require
even greater energy demands. The Defense Science Board, commissioned by
the DoD, recommended further engineering development and prototyping of
very small modular reactors with an output less than 10 MWe. Before
this technology can be deployed, a prototype mobile microreactor must
be tested to ensure it can meet DoD specifications and requirements.
A related Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for Construction and
Demonstration of a Prototype Advanced Mobile Nuclear Microreactor was
previously published in the Federal Register, 85 FR 12274 (March 2,
2020).
On March 22, 2021, SCO announced two teams--led by BWXT Advanced
Technologies, LLC, Lynchburg, Virginia, and X-energy, LLC, Rockville,
Maryland--would proceed with development of a final design for a mobile
microreactor under Project Pele. The two teams were selected from a
preliminary design competition, and each continues design development
independently. After a final design review in early 2022 and completion
of this EIS under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969,
as amended, one of the two companies may be selected to build and
demonstrate a mobile microreactor.
Alternatives
SCO evaluated a range of reasonable alternatives for the Proposed
Action (mobile microreactor construction and demonstration) in this
EIS, including a No Action Alternative that serves as a basis for
comparison with the action alternatives. The Idaho National Laboratory
(INL Site) was identified as the preferred location for the Proposed
[[Page 53040]]
Action based on siting requirements for the mobile microreactor. Other
sites, including the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) did not meet
all of the siting criteria. Specifically, these sites either lacked
sufficient supporting infrastructure or lacked an independent
electrical distribution system capable of scheduling and operation
independent of and isolated from the local commercial utility grid.
Proposed Action
The Proposed Action in the Draft EIS consists of constructing and
demonstrating a prototype mobile microreactor at the INL site that
would be capable of producing 1 to 5 MWe. The mobile microreactor is
expected to be a small, advanced gas-cooled reactor using high-assay
low-enriched uranium (HALEU) tristructural isotropic (TRISO) fuel.
TRISO fuel is encapsulated and has been demonstrated to be capable of
withstanding temperatures up to 1,800 degrees Celsius ([deg]C),
allowing for a reactor design that relies primarily on simple passive
features and inherent physics to ensure safety.
Mobile microreactor fuel loading, final assembly, and demonstration
would be performed at the INL Site using DOE technical expertise and
facilities at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) and Critical
Infrastructure Test Range Complex (CITRC). Reactor fuel would be
produced from DOE stockpiles of highly enriched uranium (HEU) located
at DOE's Y-12 plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee that would be converted to
an oxide form at the Nuclear Fuel Services (a subsidiary of BWXT)
facility in Erwin, Tennessee, and down blended to HALEU and fabricated
into TRISO fuel at the BWXT facility in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Demonstration Activities at the INL Site
The Project Pele activities to be performed at the CITRC and MFC
facilities on the INL Site, would involve demonstration that the
proposed mobile microreactor could produce reliable electric power onto
an electrical grid that is separate from the public utility grid and
that the mobile microreactor can be safely disassembled and moved. At
the end of an approximately 3-year demonstration, current plans are
that the mobile microreactor would be shut down and placed into a safe
storage mode at the INL Site.
The mobile microreactor would arrive at the INL Site for
installation at MFC without reactor fuel. The possible locations to
perform the fueling of the mobile microreactor are either the Transient
Reactor Test Facility (TREAT) or the Hot Fuel Examination Facility
(HFEF). Final assembly of the mobile microreactor modules would be
performed at the site of the initial startup testing. The initial
startup testing of the mobile microreactor could be performed at the
Demonstration of Operation Microreactor Experiments (DOME) facilities
in the Experimental Breeder Reactor II (EBR II) building.
Improvements to the DOME are planned in support of other programs
at the INL Site. These improvements to the DOME, while not a part of
Project Pele, are necessary for the DOME to be capable of supporting
the initial startup testing phase of the mobile microreactor
demonstration. Should these improvements not be made in time to support
Project Pele schedule, final assembly and startup testing would be
performed at CITRC. At either location, final assembly entails
connecting the mobile microreactor modules. The modules within the
CONEX containers would be attached via cables, conduit, and pipes that
would have been transported with the mobile microreactor to the INL
Site. During this phase of the demonstration, the mobile microreactor
would not be connected to an electrical distribution grid. Startup
testing would be performed to verify that the mobile microreactor would
perform as designed. The startup and initial testing phase is
anticipated to take 6 months to complete.
Disassembly and transport would occur between the startup testing
phase and the operational testing phase at CITRC regardless of where
startup testing would be performed. In either case, the disassembly and
transport would provide proof-of-concept of the mobility of the mobile
microreactor. The mobile microreactor would be disassembled at the
startup testing site with minimal temporary laydown requirements. The
mobile microreactor would be placed in a safe shutdown mode in which
decay heat would be removed via the passive heat removal systems. This
phase is anticipated to take around 5 weeks to complete.
Mobile Microreactor Activities at CITRC
CITRC is part of the INL's 61-mile 138-kilovolt (kV) power loop
electric test bed and supports critical infrastructure research and
testing. CITRC includes a configurable and controllable substation and
a 13.8-kV distribution network. Four test pads are located at CITRC
within the CITRC distribution grid. Some testing connects multiple test
pads using the CITRC microgrid distribution infrastructure. These
graveled/paved test pads furnish areas to place test equipment (e.g.,
transformers, circuit breakers, switches). Test pads also serve as
parking areas for personnel performing setup and testing. Preparation
of the CITRC site would be performed over the course of up to 6 months
prior to the arrival of the mobile microreactor at the site.
Preparation would involve construction of a 200-foot by 200-foot
concrete pad about 8 inches thick to create a level surface for the
CONEX containers.
Upon arrival at CITRC test pad area B, C, or D, the mobile
microreactor would be offloaded from the transports to the new concrete
pad at the test pad area and the mobile microreactor modules
reconnected. The temporary shielding, consisting of concrete T-walls,
steel-reinforced concrete roof panels, concrete wall blocks, steel
bladders for water shielding, and HESCO[supreg] bags, would be
installed. The completed shielding structure would be about 5,000
square feet and up to 30 feet tall around the microreactor module. A
limited version of the startup tests performed at DOME (or CITRC) would
be performed to verify that no modules were damaged during transport.
At CITRC, the mobile microreactor system would be connected to the
CITRC microgrid which is separate and distinct from the INL/
commercially supplied electrical grid. Diesel generators and load banks
would be attached to the microgrid. The generators and load banks would
apply realistic loads and supplies to the microgrid to test the mobile
microreactor in a realistic setting. Additional pads would be used to
house the load banks and diesel generators to simulate a microgrid
(electrical power loads for the mobile microreactor) during testing.
At-power testing, performed according to test procedures yet to be
developed, would verify the ability of the mobile microreactor to
operate at its rated power level for an extended period under normal,
off-normal (but expected), and upset (not expected but anticipated)
conditions. Transient tests performed would demonstrate mobile
microreactor features, not push it to damage conditions. Transient
testing would demonstrate upset conditions that would last at most a
couple of days but more likely hours. In addition, the CITRC site would
require a mobile office trailer that could contain a restroom, potable
water, donning/doffing facilities, equipment storage, charging
stations, etc. The mobile microreactor operations phase at CITRC is
anticipated to take around 2.5 years to complete.
[[Page 53041]]
Temporary Storage
After operational testing, the mobile microreactor would be
disassembled and placed in temporary storage, awaiting eventual
disposition. There are two options for temporary storage of the mobile
microreactor system (within their CONEX containers) at the INL Site:
the RSWF receiving area (MFC-771) and ORSA (MFC-797). A reinforced
concrete pad would be constructed at either of the temporary storage
locations, and minor upgrades in fencing and instrumentation would be
required if stored at ORSA.
Post-Irradiation Examination and Disposition
After the mobile microreactor's useful life is complete and after a
period of temporary storage, all of the materials would be disposed.
The mobile microreactor components would be disposed of through the
appropriate waste streams. It is anticipated that the mobile
microreactor would be deconstructed and parts and/or fuel removed to
aggregate like-class wastes. After deconstruction, irradiated materials
would be safely stored with other similar DOE-irradiated materials and
experiments at MFC, most likely in the HFEF or the RSWF. Ultimate
disposal of the irradiated materials that have been declared waste
would occur along with similar DOE-owned irradiated materials and
experiments currently at MFC.
Public Hearings
SCO will host two public hearings regarding the Draft EIS. Meetings
will be held in-person with simultaneous livestream over the internet.
A toll-free number will be available for commenters not at the in-
person meeting. Interested parties are invited to join either or both
of the public hearings, each with identical presentation content,
planned to be held at the Shoshone Bannock Hotel and Event Center, 777
Bannock Trail, Fort Hall, Idaho 83203. An American Sign Language
interpreter will be present. A recording of the public hearings will be
made available to the public at the online website listed above.
Individuals attending the hearings in person will be required to wear
appropriate face coverings and to follow social distancing guidelines.
Ongoing health concerns as a result of the evolving COVID-19
restrictions could result in changes or cancellation of the in person
public hearings. Further public announcements will be made in the event
of a postponement or cancellation. In the event of cancellation of the
in-person hearings, the online virtual hearings would still occur on
the scheduled dates and at the scheduled times.
The hearings will begin with a presentation providing an overview
of the project, information on the NEPA process, and highlights of the
Draft EIS content and analysis. Following the presentation, individuals
participating both in-person and remotely will be offered an
opportunity to provide oral comments on the Draft EIS. The hearings
will conclude after two hours or when there are no additional
commenters, whichever occurs first. Public comments will be addressed
in the Final EIS. You may pre-register to comment by sending an email
to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#93c3d6dfd6ccddd6c3d2d3e0f0fcbdfefaff"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="78283d343d27363d2839380b1b1756151114">[email protected]</span></a>. A court reporter will be present to transcribe
all comments.
Dated: September 17, 2021.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2021-20546 Filed 9-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P
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