• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds




TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site

Posted at 1:41 pm March 10, 2022
By Oak Ridge Today Staff Leave a Comment

Clinch-River-Site-Bear-Creek-Road-Entrance-March-27-2016
The small nuclear reactors that could be built along the Clinch River could provide enough electricity to power several cities the size of Oak Ridge. The Bear Creek Road entrance to the Clinch River Site, where the reactors could be built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is pictured above on Sunday, March 27, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

The Tennessee Valley Authority will have a virtual open house for the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge this evening (Thursday, March 10).

The open house follows the release of a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the 935-acre site in the Roane County portion of Oak Ridge, south of Heritage Center (the former K-25 site) near the Clinch River.

The draft EIS assesses the potential environmental effects associated with possibly having nuclear reactors at the site, a press release said.

“The proposed facility aligns with TVA’s 2050 target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions and drive to a carbon-free future,” the press release said.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government, Government, Slider Tagged With: Clinch River Nuclear Site, environmental impact statement, nuclear reactor, small modular nuclear reactor, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA

For members: TVA could test new nuclear reactors in Oak Ridge

Posted at 2:31 pm February 14, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

 

TVA Clinch River Site

The Tennessee Valley Authority could use the potential nuclear reactor site in west Oak Ridge to test new reactors and nuclear technologies.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

 

TVA Clinch River Site

The Tennessee Valley Authority could use the potential nuclear reactor site in west Oak Ridge to test new reactors and nuclear technologies.

The rest of this story is available if you are a member: a subscriber, advertiser, or contributor to Oak Ridge Today.

Already a member? Great! Thank you! Sign in here.

Not a member? No problem! Subscribe here:

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

If you prefer to send a check, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here. A donation of $50 or more will make you eligible for a subscription.

Thank you for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support!

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Premium Content, Slider, State, Top Stories Tagged With: Clinch River Nuclear Site, environmental impact statement, Federal Register, nuclear reactor, NuScale Power, small modular nuclear reactor, small modular reactor, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

TVA asks for public comments about proposed nuclear reactor site

Posted at 10:56 am February 3, 2021
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

TVA Clinch River Site
The Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge is pictured above. The road running from bottom to top on the right (east) side of the Clinch River connects to Bear Creek Road in southwest Oak Ridge. Highway 58 is off to the top left of the photo and the Heritage Center is to the north. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority is asking for public comment about a proposal to build one or more small or advanced nuclear reactors in west Oak Ridge.

The reactors would be on the Clinch River Nuclear Site, near the Clinch River and south of Heritage Center (the former K-25 site) in Roane County.

The reactors could be advanced or small modular nuclear reactors. They would have a maximum total electrical output of 800 megawatts. They would be smaller than traditional nuclear power plants, and they would produce less power.

Oak Ridge Today has previously reported that the reactors could provide enough electricity to power several cities the size of Oak Ridge

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Oak Ridge, Slider Tagged With: Clinch River Nuclear Site, nuclear reactor, Oak Ridge, public comment, small modular nuclear reactor, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA

NRC will issue early site permit for TVA Clinch River site

Posted at 2:10 pm December 17, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

TVA Clinch River Site
The Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge is pictured above. The road running from bottom to top on the right (east) side of the Clinch River connects to Bear Creek Road in southwest Oak Ridge. Highway 58 is off to the top left of the photo and the Heritage Center is to the north. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Tuesday that it will issue an early site permit to the Tennessee Valley Authority for the Clinch River site in west Oak Ridge, where small modular nuclear reactors could eventually be built.

The early site permit closes several site-related issues, including many related to environmental impacts, for small modular reactors at the site, the NRC said in a press release Tuesday.

The Commission authorized the agency’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation to issue the permit following a hearing on August 14. The Commission found the staff’s review of TVA’s application to be adequate to make the necessary regulatory safety and environmental findings, the press release said.

The early site permit, which will be valid for up to 20 years, is expected to be issued in the next few days.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Clinch River Nuclear Site, Clinch River Site, early site permit, NRC, small modular nuclear reactor, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

NRC could finish design review of small reactor by 2020

Posted at 12:39 pm July 26, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Cross-sectional view of the NuScale Power small modular reactor building. (Image courtesy NuScale Power)

NuScale Power of Portland, Oregon, said Monday that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed the second and third phases of its review of NuScale’s design for a small modular nuclear reactor, and the NRC is on track to complete the design review by September 2020.

This could be important to Oak Ridge because small modular reactors are possible at the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge, although there are additional approvals that would be required.

The completion of the second and third phases of the NuScale design review is six weeks ahead of schedule, the company said in a press release on Monday.

“Completing phases 2 and 3 of the NRC’s design review certification process is a critical milestone for our company and the advanced nuclear industry,” said NuScale Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Hopkins.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Clinch River Nuclear Site, Idaho National Laboratory, John Hopkins, NRC, nuclear power plant, nuclear reactor, NuScale design review, NuScale Power, small modular nuclear reactor, small modular reactor, small reactor, SMR, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems

NRC has public hearing on Clinch River Nuclear Site in August

Posted at 12:57 pm July 24, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Clinch-River-Nuclear-Site-Map-EIS-April-2019.jpg
This image shows the location of the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge. (Image by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from the April 2019 “Reader’s Guide” for the “Final Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site Permit at the Clinch River Nuclear Site.”)


The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will have a mandatory hearing on August 14 regarding an application for an early site permit for one or more small modular nuclear reactors at the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge. It’s the final step in the agency’s review of the application.

The Commission hearing will include testimony and exhibits from the Tennessee Valley Authority, which applied for the early site permit, as well as from the NRC staff. The testimony and exhibits will be about the question of whether the NRC staff’s review adequately supports the findings that are necessary to issue a permit, a press release said.

The August 14 hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in the Commission Hearing Room at NRC Headquarters at 11555 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland. The hearing will be open to public observation and webcast. A detailed agenda and presentation slides will be available in advance on the Commission’s meeting page.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: Clinch River Nuclear Site, early site permit, NRC, Oak Ridge, small modular nuclear reactor, small modular reactor, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

NRC has hearing on Oak Ridge site that could host small nuclear reactors

Posted at 6:16 pm July 1, 2019
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Image by the NRC from the April 2019 “Reader’s Guide” for the “Final Environmental Impact Statement for an Early Site Permit at the Clinch River Nuclear Site.”

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a hearing for an application for a site in west Oak Ridge where small modular nuclear reactors could be built.

The hearing has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Wednesday, August 14, at the NRC in Rockville, Maryland.

The NRC will discuss an early site permit application submitted by the Tennessee Valley Authority for the Clinch River Nuclear Site. TVA has proposed using the 935-acre site, which is along the Clinch River south of Heritage Center (the former K-25 site), to build two or more small modular reactors. The site once hosted the former Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project.

During the August 14 hearing, the NRC will have an evidentiary session to hear testimony and receive exhibits in the uncontested proceeding for TVA’s early site permit application, according to a notice published in the Federal Register on Monday.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards, Clinch River Nuclear Site, early site permit, environmental impact statement, NRC, nuclear power plant, safety evaluation report, small modular nuclear reactor, small modular reactor, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Public can comment Tuesday on potential environmental impacts at Clinch River site

Posted at 9:59 am June 5, 2018
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Clinch-River-Site-Bear-Creek-Road-Entrance-March-27-2016

The small nuclear reactors that could be built along the Clinch River in west Oak Ridge could provide enough electricity to power several cities the size of Oak Ridge. The Bear Creek Road entrance to the Clinch River Site, where the reactors could be built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is pictured above on Sunday, March 27, 2016. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet with the public in Kingston today (Tuesday, June 5) to discuss a draft conclusion that environmental impacts would be small enough to allow an early site permit to be issued for the Clinch River site in west Oak Ridge, where a small modular nuclear reactor could be built.

While in Kingston, the NRC staff will discuss the agency’s draft environmental impact statement on the early site permit application for the 1,200-acre Clinch River site, which is south of East Tennessee Technology Park (the former K-25 site) and east of State Route 58.

“The NRC is interested in the public’s views on the agency’s overall draft conclusion that environmental impacts would be small enough to allow the agency to issue the permit,” a press release said.

The NRC will be at Noah’s Event Venue, which is at 1200 Ladd Landing Boulevard in Kingston, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. (as needed) on Tuesday, June 5. NRC staff will describe the environmental review process and the conclusions of the draft environmental impact statement. Each meeting will conclude with a formal public comment period, the press release said. NRC open houses, which are scheduled from 1-2 p.m. and 6-7 p.m., will provide the public the opportunity to talk informally with agency staff. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Government Tagged With: Clinch River Site, early site permit, early site permit application, environmental impact statement, environmental impacts, environmental review, modular nuclear reactor, Noah’s Event Venue, NRC, nuclear power plant, reactor licensing, small modular nuclear reactor, small modular reactor, SMRs, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Updated: X-energy, Centrus Energy to develop fuel for advanced nuclear reactors

Posted at 10:03 am September 6, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Larry Cutlip, left, Centrus Energy vice president of field operations, and Pete Pappano, X Energy vice president of fuel production, announce a collaboration on fuel for advanced nuclear reactors at the Nuclear Suppliers Workshop at Pollard Technology Conference Center on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Larry Cutlip, left, Centrus Energy vice president of field operations, and Pete Pappano, X Energy vice president of fuel production, announce a collaboration on fuel for advanced nuclear reactors at the Nuclear Suppliers Workshop at Pollard Technology Conference Center on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

This story was last updated at 5:30 a.m. Sept. 7.

Two companies that have operations or employees in Oak Ridge are exploring a collaboration for the possible production of fuel for advanced nuclear reactors.

The two companies, X Energy LLC and Centrus Energy Corporation, announced Wednesday that they have signed a memorandum of understanding for the potential collaboration.

They are expected to put together a business plan for the fuel fabrication business. It’s not clear how long that might take, said Jeremy Derryberry, Centrus Energy senior communications manager.

But the companies are working toward the development of a fuel fabrication facility that could possibly be in Oak Ridge, where Centrus, formerly known as USEC, has had operations for about 15 years.

“We really think that Oak Ridge can be a nexus for the advanced reactor industry in the U.S. going forward,” Derryberry said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Business, Front Page News, Oak Ridge, Slider, Top Stories Tagged With: advanced nuclear reactor, advanced reactor, American Centrifuge Technology Manufacturing Center, Building K-1600, Centrus Energy Corporation, Clinch River Site, Daniel Poneman, East Tennessee Technology Park, fuel fabrication facility, Jeremy Derryberry, Kam Ghaffarian, Larry Cutlip, nuclear fuel, Nuclear Suppliers Workshop, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL, Pete Pappano, Pollard Technology Conference Center, small modular nuclear reactor, Tennessee Valley Authority, Thomas Zacharia, TRISO fuel, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, UCO TRISO, uranium oxycarbide tristructural isotropic, USEC, UT-Battelle LLC, X Energy LLC, X-energy reactor

NRC seeks comment on environmental matters at Clinch River Nuclear Site

Posted at 2:00 pm May 10, 2017
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

TVA-SMRs-at-NRC-Meeting-April-12-2016

The Tennessee Valley Authority has applied for an early site permit that could allow small modular nuclear reactors at the Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge, possibly as soon as the mid-2020s. Pictured above at a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission meeting on the early site permit on Tuesday, April 12, 2016, is Dan Stout, TVA senior manager, small modular reactors. (File photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission will seek public comments on what environmental matters it should consider during its review of the early site permit application for the Clinch River Nuclear Site in west Oak Ridge.

The NRC will seek the comments during two meetings in Oak Ridge on Monday that are part of the process used to develop an environmental impact statement.

The first meeting is from 1-4 p.m. Monday, May 15, in the Pollard Technology Conference Center Auditorium at 210 Badger Avenue in Oak Ridge. The second meeting is from 6-9 p.m. that same day.

The Tennessee Valley Authority submitted an application last May for the early site permit for small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs, at the Clinch River Site in west Oak Ridge. The early site permit application is for two or more SMRs. The NRC accepted the application for “docketing and detailed technical review” in December.

A specific reactor design has not been selected. TVA has identified parameters for a surrogate nuclear plant, and the NRC will use them to evaluate the site’s suitability for building and operating a new nuclear plant. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Federal, Front Page News, Government, Government, Slider Tagged With: Clinch River Nuclear Site, Clinch River Site, Dan Stout, early site permit, environmental impact statement, NRC, Oak Ridge, Patricia Vokoun, Pollard Technology Conference Center, Scott Brooks, small modular nuclear reactor, small modular reactor, SMR, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission

DOE provides more funding for small nuclear reactor project

Posted at 9:32 am August 27, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

mPower Containment

Conceptual drawing of an underground containment structure housing two B&W mPower™ reactor modules. (Image courtesy B&W)

Federal officials have agreed to spend another $20.5 million on a project that could result in a small modular nuclear reactor in west Oak Ridge within a decade.

The Babcock & Wilcox Co. announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Energy has allocated the additional funding to an agreement with Babcock & Wilcox mPower Inc. (B&W mPower) under what is known as the Small Modular Reactor Licensing Technical Support Program.

The small modular reactor, which can generate 180 megawatts of electricity, could be built at the former Clinch River Breeder Reactor site in west Oak Ridge by 2022. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: B&W, B&W mPower, Babcock & Wilcox Co., Babcock & Wilcox mPower Inc., Bechtel, Christofer M. Mowry, Clinch River, Clinch River Breeder Reactor, DOE, Generation mPower, Generation mPower LLC, mPower America Project, small modular nuclear reactor, Small Modular Reactor Licensing Technical Support Program, Tennessee Valley Authority, U.S. Department of Energy

TVA, B&W sign agreement for small nuclear reactor at Clinch River Site

Posted at 2:16 pm February 20, 2013
By Tennessee Valley Authority Leave a Comment

The Tennessee Valley Authority and Babcock and Wilcox announced Wednesday a major step in their joint effort to build and test the nation’s first small modular reactor at TVA’s Clinch River Site in Oak Ridge.

TVA and B&W signed a contract Feb. 7 that formalizes the process toward the eventual submittal and Nuclear Regulatory Commission review of a licensing application for a B&W mPower small modular reactor, or SMR, nuclear plant at Clinch River.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Federal, Government, Roane County, Top Stories, U.S. Department of Energy Tagged With: B&W, Babcock and Wilcox, Clinch River Site, DOE, Joe Hoagland, licensing, mPower, NRC, nuclear plant, nuclear reactor, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, small modular nuclear reactor, SMR, SMR Licensing Technical Support Program, Tennessee Valley Authority, TVA, U.S. Department of Energy

Search Oak Ridge Today

Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

Recent Posts

  • REAC/TS welcomes new team members: John Crapo, Josh Hayes and David Quillen
  • NASA Postdoctoral Program seeks early career and senior scientists for prestigious fellowships at its locations across the U.S.
  • ORAU names Brandon Criswell associate general counsel
  • Update on downtown Oak Ridge Tuesday
  • TVA has virtual open house for Clinch River Nuclear Site
  • Science and supercomputers at ORNL topic of Mar. 8 talk
  • First Presbyterian offers free meals & groceries on Mar. 10
  • Secret City Academy student charged with terrorism after alleged shooting, bomb threats
  • ORHS Masquers presents ‘Into the Woods’
  • Oak Ridge’s first girl Eagle Scout named a “Scout of the Year”
A Twitter List by OakRidgeToday

Recent Comments

  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Mark Caldwell on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Matt Bailey on Dodson also wants to serve as mayor pro tem
  • Tracy Powers on Planning Commission to consider Main Street apartments, plan revisions
  • johnhuotari on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • Levi D. Smith on Four incumbents re-elected to Oak Ridge City Council
  • samuel hopwood on Housing: Apartments proposed on former AMSE site
  • Matt Bailey on Robin Smith named Oak Ridge police chief

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2022 Oak Ridge Today