2012-26630. Uranium Enrichment Fuel Cycle Facility Inspection Reports Regarding Louisiana Energy Services LLC, National Enrichment Facility, Eunice, NM, Prior to the Commencement of Operations

AGENCY:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

ACTION:

Notice of availability.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Raddatz, Project Manager, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Rockville, Maryland 20852; telephone: [phone]; or email to: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Introduction

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC or the Commission) has conducted inspections of the Louisiana Energy Services (LES), LLC, National Enrichment Facility in Eunice, New Mexico, and has verified that cascades numbered 1.9, 1.10, 1.11, 1.12, 2.2, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.10, 2.11, 2.12, and 3.1 of the facility have been constructed in accordance with the requirements of the approved license. The NRC staff has prepared inspection reports documenting its findings in accordance with the requirements of the NRC Inspection Manual. As a result of these inspections, on March 14, 2012, the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascades numbered 2.2, 2.3, and 2.5. On March 19, 2012, the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascade number 2.6. On March 27, 2012, the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascades numbered 2.7 and 2.8. On May 24, 2012, the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascade number 1.9. On May 31, 2012, the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascade number 1.10. On June 27, 2012, the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascade number 1.11. On July 9, 2012 (clarified by letter July 16, 2012), the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascade number 2.12. On August 9, 2012, the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascade number 1.12. On August 14, 2012, the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascade number 3.1. On August 24, 2012, the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascade number 2.11. Finally, on September 14, 2012, the Commission authorized the licensee to start operation of cascade number 2.10. The publication of this Notice satisfies the requirements of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR) 70.32 (k) and section 193(c) of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended.

The introduction of uranium hexafluoride into any module of the National Enrichment Facility is not permitted until the Commission completes an operational readiness and management measures verification review to verify that management measures that ensure compliance with the performance requirements of 10 CFR 70.61 have been implemented and confirms that the facility has been constructed in accordance with the license and will be operated safely. Subsequent operational readiness and management measures verification reviews will continue throughout the various phases of plant construction and, upon completion of these subsequent phases, additional notices will be posted to verify that the phase in question has been constructed in accordance with the license and to acknowledge licensee readiness for operations.

II. Further Information

Documents related to this action are available online at the NRC Library at http://www.nrc.gov/​reading-rm/​adams.html. From this site, you can access the NRC's Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS), which provides text and image files of NRC's public documents. The ADAMS accession numbers for the documents related to this document are:

Inspection report numbers	Date	ADAMS accession No.
70-3103/2006-001	January 19, 2007	ML070190661.
70-3103/2007-001	May 24, 2007	ML071440430.
70-3103/2007-002	August 16, 2007	ML072280647.
70-3103/2007-003	November 2, 2007	ML073060571.
70-3103/2007-004	March 7, 2008	ML080670475.
70-3103/2008-001	April 24, 2008	ML081160345.
70-3103/2008-002	July 10, 2008	ML081930118.
70-3103/2008-003	October 30, 2008	ML083040618.
70-3103/2008-004	December 19, 2008	ML083540709.
70-3103/2008-006	March 20, 2009	ML090790642.
70-3103/2009-001	March 26, 2009	ML090850669.
70-3103/2009-002	June 26, 2009	ML091770643.
70-3103/2009-003	September 30, 2009	ML092730612.
70-3103/2009-004	December 17, 2009	ML093511013.
70-3103/2009-006	October 8, 2009	ML092820188.
70-3103/2010-005	March 26, 2010	ML100850424.
70-3103/2010-012	July 21, 2010	ML102020385.
70-3103/2011-002	April 29, 2011	ML111190268.
70-3103/2011-003	July 26, 2011	ML112070634.
70-3103/2011-004	October 28, 2011	ML11301A218.
70-3103/2012-002	April 30, 2012	ML12121A579.
70-3103/2012-003	July 6, 2012	ML12188A105.
70-3103/2012-004		Pending.

If you do not have access to ADAMS or if there are problems in accessing the documents located in ADAMS, contact the NRC Public Document Room (PDR) Reference staff at 1-800-397-4209, 301-415-4737, or by email to [e-mail].

These documents may also be viewed electronically on the public computers located at the NRC's PDR, O 1 F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852. The PDR reproduction contractor will copy documents for a fee.

Dated at Rockville, Maryland this 19th day of October 2012.

For the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Brian W. Smith,

Chief, Uranium Enrichment Branch, Division of Fuel Cycle Safety and Safeguards, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards.