Development of the Decontamination Approach for the West Valley Demonstration Project Decontamination Project Plan PDF Download

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Languages : en
Pages : 10

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This paper details the development of a decontamination approach for the West Valley Demonstration Project (WVDP), Decontamination Project Plan (Plan). The WVDP is operated by West Valley Nuclear Services Company (WVNSCO), a subsidiary of Westinghouse Government and Environmental Services, and its parent companies Washington Group International and British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL). The WVDP is a waste management effort being conducted by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) at the site of the only commercial nuclear fuel reprocessing facility to have operated in the United States. This facility is part of the Western New York Nuclear Service Center (WNYNSC), which is owned by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). As authorized by Congress in 1980 through the West Valley Demonstration Project Act (WVDP Act, Public Law 96-368), the DOE's primary mission at the WVDP is to solidify high-level liquid nuclear waste safely; transport the high-level waste (HLW) to a federal repository; and decontaminate and decommission the facilities and hardware used to solidify the HLW and conduct the WVDP. This includes a provision for the disposal of low-level waste (LLW) and transuranic waste (TRU) produced during processing of the HLW. Continuation of the effort to reduce the hazard and risk associated with historic operations to the extent needed to ensure the health and safety of the public and the environment will see a change in focus from stabilization of liquid HLW to stabilization of former plutonium and uranium extraction (PUREX) reprocessing plant facilities. This will be achieved through the activities of in-cell component removal and packaging, and preparation for long-term disposal of the long- lived radionuclides. These radionuclides are associated with the former PUREX facility operations, including, and upstream from, facilities utilized in the primary separation and first plutonium/uranium split cycles. The closure strategy for the WVDP is subject to ongoing evaluation and decision-making involving DOE and NYSERDA. Implementation will be subject to a future Record of Decision (ROD) and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).