DOE image on front page: tritium canister (of classified size) & above: diagram of Tritium Producing Burnable Absorber Rod (TPBAR)
TVA gains NRC approval to increase production of radioactive tritium gas for nuclear weapons – part of the National Nuclear Security Administration’s plan to fully charge all tritium reservoirs in all active warheads (and possibly reserve weapons as well). This large increase in tritium production is an often forgotten part of a new nuclear arms race.
Citing a host of technical justifications, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the license amendment request of the Tennessee Valley Authority, on behalf of DOE, to increase the maximum number of Tritium Producing Burnable Absorber Rods (TPBARs) to be irradiated in each of the Watts Bar unit 1 & 2 reactors from 1,792 TPBARs per operating cycle to 2,496 TPBARs per cycle.
An increase in tritium production means: 1) tritium leakage into the reactors’ cooling systems and therefore discharge into the environment, including the Tennessee River, will increase (but the NRC claims the tritium levels are within already approved bounds), 2) production of fresh TPBARs at the dual use commercial-military Westinghouse fuel plant in Columbia, South Carolina will increase, 3) processing of irradiated TPBARs at DOE’s Savannah River Site will increase significantly, along with more radioactive waste disposed of on site 4) SRS will be able to fill more reservoirs with a full tritium charge, to give the warheads maximum flexibility in explosive capability & 5) DOE/TVA/NRC will continue to damage international nuclear non-proliferation norms by producing a nuclear weapon material (tritium) in civilian nuclear power reactors.
US NRC, April 15, 2024 letter and license amendments- posted on April 23, 2024
SUBJECT: Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, Units 1 and 2 Issuance of Amendment Nos. 165 and 72 Regarding Increase in the Maximum Number of Tritium Producing Burnable Absorber Rods and Supporting Changes, and Revision to the Updated Final Safety Analysis Report
ADAMS Accession No. ML24072A005
ADAMS Hyperlink: https://adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov/webSearch2/main.jsp?AccessionNumber=ML24072A005
page 2, enclosure 3:
“Tritium is produced when the neutrons strike the lithium material. A solid zirconium material in the TPBAR, called a getter, captures the tritium as it is produced. Most of the tritium is trapped in the getter material. However, a small fraction of the tritium will permeate through the TPBAR cladding into the RCS [Reactor Coolant System]. After one cycle of exposure, the TPBARs are removed from the fuel assemblies and shipped to a DOE extraction facility.” – the Savannah River Site near Aiken, SC
page 51 pdf:
6.0 CONCLUSION
The Commission has concluded, based on the considerations discussed above, that: (1) there
is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by
operation in the proposed manner, (2) there is reasonable assurance that such activities will be
conducted in compliance with the Commission’s regulations, and (3) the issuance of the
amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety
The Commission has concluded, based on the considerations discussed above, that: (1) there
is reasonable assurance that the health and safety of the public will not be endangered by
operation in the proposed manner, (2) there is reasonable assurance that such activities will be
conducted in compliance with the Commission’s regulations, and (3) the issuance of the
amendment will not be inimical to the common defense and security or to the health and safety
of the public.
For more on production of non-radioactive TPBARs in the Westinghouse dual-use facility and some details about the production and processing of the irradiated rods, see the Nov. 2021 SRS Watch report Crossing the Line: South Carolina Nuclear Weapons Secrets Exposed – at https://srswatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/SRS-Watch-report-Westinghouse-nuclear-weapons-connection-Nov-16-2021.pdf
Tom Clements
Savannah River Site Watch
Columbia, SC