(PressMediaWire) Washington D.C. -- The U.S Department of Energy
(DOE) announced today that the Department is prepared to execute the
Standard Contract for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and/or
High-Level Radioactive Waste (Standard Contract) set forth in 10 C.F.R.
961, together with a new reactor amendment, with those companies
desiring to construct new nuclear power reactors. The Department is
making the Standard Contract and the new reactor amendment
(collectively “disposal contract”) available to those companies that
have notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of their intent
to build new nuclear power reactors.
“These contracts are essential to advancing the commercial
nuclear renaissance which is needed in order to meet our Nation’s
significant future demands for providing electricity in a safe, secure,
and environmentally friendly manner,” said Secretary of Energy Samuel
Bodman. “Making these contracts available to the developers of new
reactors will support the expanded use of nuclear power in the United
States, which is critical to meeting our country’s climate change and
energy security goals.”
Under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA), a
company must have a contract with DOE for disposal services in order to
receive a license from the NRC to construct and operate a new nuclear
power reactor. The Department currently has contracts with the owners
of all of the Nation’s current fleet of nuclear power plants, including
104 reactors operating nationwide which generate approximately 20
percent of the Nation’s electricity supply.
Media
contact(s):
Allen Benson, (702) 794-1322
SOURCE: U.S Dept. of Energy
