SRS Watch in “DOE publishes reactor impact statement”
Idaho Falls Post Register, December 21, 2020
“The U.S. Department of Energy has released the draft environmental impact statement for a test reactor it would like to build at Idaho National Laboratory.”
“The statement on the Versatile Test Reactor was released Monday and is available online through the Office of Nuclear Energy’s website, energy.gov/ne/office-nuclear-energy. Public comment will conclude 45 days after the federal Environmental Protection Agency publishes notice in the Federal Register, which is expected to happen on Dec. 31. DOE will then hold two virtual public hearings, dates to be announced.”
“Savannah River Site Watch, a nuclear watchdog group that focuses on the site of the same name in South Carolina, put out a news release criticizing the project as too costly and potentially unsafe. The draft impact statement discusses both INL and the Savanna River Site as possible locations to make the reactor’s fuel.”
“Given that no clear mission need has been established for the VTR and with an estimated price tag of $3 billion to $6 billion, with completion ranging from 2026 to 2030, it is doubtful if the project will go forward,” the group said in a news release. “Just as for other costly, complex DOE projects, the price tag is certain to grow and the schedule certain to slip if the project is pursued. As there appears to be a rush in moving forward with the VTR in the waning days of the Trump administration, the need for the VTR, its cost and proliferation risks must be formally reviewed.”
full article linked here: https://www.postregister.com/news/government/doe-publishes-reactor-impact-statement/article_d2804c39-66bb-5d27-b08c-1129b2ef2607.html