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DOCUMENT RESUME
07099 - [B227657]
Before Licensing Floating Nuclea, Poverplants, Many Answers Are
Needed. END-78-36; B-127945. Sept 'uber 13, 1978. 33 pp. + 2
appendices (7 pp.).
Report to the Congress; by Elmer B. Staats, Ccmptroller General.
Issue Arez Energy: Making Nuclear Fission a Substantial Energy
Scuzcs. (1608).
Contact: Energy and minerals Div.
Budget Function: Natural Resources, Environment., and Energy:
Energy 1305).
OrSanization Concerned: Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Atonitz
Energy Commission.
_.)nqressional Relevance: Senate Committee on Energy and 6atural
Resources; Congress.
Authority: Atomic Energy Act. National Envircnertal Policy act
of 1974. -'49 C.F.R. 170. -46 C.F.R. 146.
The predecessor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commissicn
(NEC) received an application in 1973 to mabufacture eight
standardized floating nuclear powerplants near Jacksonville,
Florida, asd received a separate application in 1974 to station
two of the eight plants off the New Jersey coast. Because the
floating plants will be built at a location other than where
they will be operated, the NRC has issued new regulations
requiring a license for the manufacture of the plants.
Approximately $300 million has been spent by the applicants on
activities related to the applications, and the first
application is more than 3 years behind its original licensing
schedule. Findings/Ccnclusions: The NRC staff has ma4e several
management decisions that have complicated and contributed to
the 3-year delay in its review of the application to manufacture
floating nuclear powerplants. Factors inhibiting the licensing
review process incude: preparation of a generic environmental
statesent which adds little to the licensing process, NRC's
failure to evaluate siting possibilities in a timely manner, Eid
NRC's failure to evaluate a reactor core melt in a timely
manner. The following questions concerning floating nuclear
poverplants remain: Is more information needed on the risks of a
core-melt accident? Vill the site meet requirements for a
floating nuclear plant? Does the weight of the plant represent a
problem? Have methods been developed for handling and recovery
of nuclear fuel and radioactive waste? Has a method been
developed for decommissioning the floating plant? and Vill a
floating plant minimize the eavironmental effect of pcerplant
operation? Recommendations: Before concluding its review of the
manufacturing license, the Chairman, NRC, should: establish an
acceptable lail of risk for a core-melt accident on a floating
nuclear plant, identify thos. changes hich snpt be made to the
design to achieve that level of risk, and require that weight
parameters be developed for .be safe operaticn of the](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.gao/gaobaaxyo0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)