New Production Reactors Program: Report to the Congress by the Secretary of Energy

In August 1988, DOE issued a report to Congress announcing the Department's proposal for assuring future tritium production capacity through the building of new facilities, specifically, a preferred duality strategy that calls for the design and construction of a new, up-to-date heavy water reactor (HWR) at the Savannah River Site in South Carolina; and, at the same time, to proceed with the design and construction of a modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (MHTGR) plant to be located at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory in Idaho. As a contingency, the Department is developing a light water reactor (LWR) tritium target for possible use in the partially completed WNP-1 reactor located on the Hanford Site, near Richland, Washington. The Secretary created the Office of New Production Reactors (NP) to accomplish the following mission: To provide new production reactor capacity on an urgent schedule for an assured supply of nuclear materials, primarily tritium, to maintain the Nation's nuclear deterrent capability. The organizational philosophy of the Program calls for strong central control with increased safety, environmental, and quality assurance oversight. In addition to separate Engineering Technology Offices for HWR, MHTGR, and LWR that will maintain technical control throughout the life of the Program, the NP Director has created oversight Offices for Safety and Quality and for Environment. An NP Project Management Office will be established at each of the three project sites with the Project Officer reporting directly to the Director of NP. Safety, Quality, and Environmental Field Representatives will be located on-site at the Project Management Offices to serve as a ''resident'' for the Headquarters' Office to whom they will report