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Source: DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE)
Notice of availability.
Citation: "76 FR 51357"
Page Number: "51357"
"Notices"
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is creating the American Assured Fuel Supply (AFS), a reserve of low enriched uranium (LEU) to serve as a backup fuel supply for foreign recipients to be supplied through U.S. persons, or for domestic recipients, in the event of a fuel supply disruption. DOE is committed to making the AFS available to eligible recipients in the case of supply disruptions in the nuclear fuel market. This effort supports DOE's nuclear nonproliferation objectives by supporting civil nuclear energy development while minimizing proliferation risks. This notice announces the availability of the AFS and the DOE policy and process for eligible recipients to purchase LEU from the AFS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rich Goorevich, Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Nonproliferation and International Security, National Nuclear Security Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585, Tel: 202-586-0589, Fax: 202-586-1348.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Secretary of Energy is authorized pursuant to the Atomic Energy of 1954, as amended (Pub. L. 83-703), and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 (NNPA) (Pub. L. 95-242) to encourage the widespread use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, and to enter into and distribute nuclear material in cooperation with other nations where appropriate safeguard measures are in place to ensure the material is properly controlled and used for peaceful purposes. Consistent with those responsibilities and missions, in 2005, Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman announced that the United States would set aside 17.4 metric tons of surplus highly-enriched uranium (HEU) to be down-blended to LEU and held in reserve to address disruptions in the nuclear fuel supply of foreign recipients that have good nonproliferation credentials. This initiative was originally referred to as the Reliable Fuel Supply Initiative, and more recently renamed the American Assured Fuel Supply (AFS).
Congress appropriated $49,540,000 in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2008 (Pub. L. 110-161) to fund a portion of the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) International Nuclear Fuel Bank (INFB) initiative, which is envisioned as an LEU reserve that will be administered by the IAEA and that will serve as a back-up for global supply disruptions. Congress, in the Explanatory Statement accompanying the House...