Phase 1 environmental report for the Advanced Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Abstract

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has proposed the construction and operation of the Advanced Neutron Source (ANS), a 330-MW(f) reactor, at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to support neutron scattering and nuclear physics experiments. ANS would provide a steady-state source of neutrons that are thermalized to produce sources of hot, cold, and very coal neutrons. The use of these neutrons in ANS experiment facilities would be an essential component of national research efforts in basic materials science. Additionally, ANS capabilities would include production of transplutonium isotopes, irradiation of potential fusion and fission reactor materials, activation analysis, and production of medical and industrial isotopes such as {sup 252}Cf. Although ANS would not require licensing by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), DOE regards the design, construction, and operation of ANS as activities that would produce a licensable facility; that is, DOE is following the regulatory guidelines that NRC would apply if NRC were licensing the facility. Those guidelines include instructions for the preparation of an environmental report (ER), a compilation of available data and preliminary analyses regarding the environmental impacts of nuclear facility construction and operation. The ER, described and outlined in NRC Regulatory Guide 4.2, serves as a backgroundmore » document to facilitate the preparation of environmental impact statements (EISs). Using Regulatory Guide 4.2 as a model, this ANS ER provides analyses and information specific to the ANS site and area that can be adopted (and modified, if necessary) for the ANS EIS. The ER is being prepared in two phases. Phase 1 ER includes many of the data and analyses needed to prepare the EIS but does not include data or analyses of alternate sites or alternate technologies. Phase 2 ER will include the additional data and analyses stipulated by Regulatory Guide 4.2.« less