NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ON NEAR TERM DEPLOYMENT OF NUCLEAR ENERGY PLANTS IN THE U.S.

Notice Date

April 2, 2001

Contracting Office

U.S. Department Of Energy, Idaho Operations Office, 850 Energy Drive -- MS1221, Idaho Falls, ID 83401-1563

ZIP Code

83401-1563

E-Mail Address

Click here to contact the agency point of contact (Tom.Miller @hq.doe.gov)

Description

The Department of Energy has published a Request For Information (RFI) seeking input on nuclear plant designs that can be deployed and achieve commercial operation in the United States by end of year (EOY) 2010. The Near Term Deployment (NTD) RFI also seeks information on any known technological, regulatory, and institutional gaps between the current state of the art and the necessary conditions to deploy new commercial nuclear plants in the United States by 2010. The NTD RFI is intended to solicit responses from reactor manufacturers, architect-engineering companies (A/Es), nuclear plant owners and operating companies, energy policy experts, and others in government, industry or academia with information or views on the conditions necessary for nuclear plant orders, construction and operation by 2010. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (DOE-NE) has initiated a Generation IV Nuclear Energy Systems project (Gen IV) to encourage the development of new nuclear technologies to meet future energy needs. The purpose of the "Gen IV" is to develop nuclear energy systems that would be available for worldwide deployment by 2030. A key deliverable for the Generation IV project is a roadmap to guide DOE-NE's long-term research and development programs. DOE-NE also recognizes the need for near term nuclear deployment options as well. As part of the Generation IV project, DOE-NE is also seeking to identify actions necessary to support near-term nuclear energy deployment options in the U.S. To meet this objective, a comprehensive NTD Roadmap will be developed by September 30, 2001, which will identify nuclear plant designs that could be deployed and operating in the U.S. by 2010, along with the resource requirements needed to ensure multiple options are available for this purpose. This NTD Roadmap will identify technical, regulatory, and institutional gaps, prerequisites, and other issues, and the actions needed to address these issues. Information provided in response to the RFI will be a primary input to this Roadmap. The RFI on Near Term Deployment of Nuclear Energy Plants in the U.S. is available in the document section of the DOE Generation IV web site at http://gen-iv.ne.doe.gov. This is the second of two independent RFIs from DOE-NE related to advanced nuclear energy systems. The other RFI is on Generation IV Nuclear Energy System Concepts, issued March 2001. These two RFIs serve different purposes and will be analyzed separately. Many concepts provided to DOE-NE under the Generation IV RFI may not appropriate be for submittal under the NTD RFI, because they will not be ready for deployment by 2010. Furthermore, the NTD RFI seeks information on generic and design-specific issues that could be impediments to near term deployment of new nuclear power plants. All information in response to this request must be submitted by electronic mail to DOE-NE at neartermdeployment@hq.doe.gov as an attached file in English using the format specified in the complete RFI on the DOE website. Submittals must be received by May 4, 2001. Questions concerning this RFI may be directed to Tom.Miller@hq.doe.gov. Responses to the NTD RFI should be submitted only for the purpose of informing DOE about potential design options for near term nuclear plant deployment and related gaps and barriers to deployment. This is not a solicitation for proposals. All information submitted will be made available to the public for comment. Proprietary information should not be submitted and will not be accepted. The RFI consists of three sections. The RFI contains a complete details and requirements for responses. Respondents should review the complete RFI, on the DOE website, for the details and requirements for responding to each RFI Section. Section 1: Information on Specific Candidate NTD Options Nuclear design proponents are asked to show how their nuclear plant design (including nuclear systems and power conversion/balance-of-plant systems) meet following six screening criteria. 1. Credible plan for gaining regulatory acceptance -- Candidate technologies must show how they will be able to receive either a construction permit for a demonstration plant or a design certification by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) within the time frame required to permit plant operation by 2010 or earlier. 2. Existence of industrial infrastructure -- Candidate technologies must be able to demonstrate that a credible set of component suppliers and engineering resources exist today; or a credible plan exists to assemble them, which would have the ability and the desire to supply the technology to a commercial market in the time frame leading to plant operation by 2010 or earlier. 3. Credible plan for commercialization -- A credible plan must be prepared which clearly shows how the technology would be commercialized by 2010 or earlier, including market projections, supplier arrangements, fuel supply arrangements and industrial manufacturing capacity. 4. Cost-sharing between industry and government -- Technology plans must include a clear delineation of the cost categories to be funded by government and the categories to be funded by private industry. The private/government funding split for each of these categories must be shown along with rationale for the proposed split. 5. Demonstration of economic competitiveness -- The economic competitiveness of candidate technologies must be clearly demonstrable. The expected all-in cost of power produced is to be determined and compared to existing competing technologies along with all relevant assumptions. 6. Reliance on existing fuel cycle industrial structure -- Candidate technologies must show how they will operate within credible fuel cycle industrial structures, i.e., they must utilize a once-through fuel cycle with low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel and demonstrate the existence of, or a credible plan for, an industrial infrastructure to supply the fuel being proposed. Section 2: Gap Analysis Respondents are invited to identify all the technical, institutional, and regulatory barriers and gaps that must be addressed to achieve near term deployment. Section 3 : Supporting Information and Comments Respondents are invited to provide any additional inputs, comments, and recommendations, as they may desire. Please keep these additional inputs brief.

Web Link

Click here to download copy of Request for Information (http://gen-iv.ne.doe.gov)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010404/SPMSC018.HTM (W-092 SN50I004)