The NRC has approved the license amendment request of the Tennessee Valley Authority to increase the maximum number of “tritium producing burnable absorber rods” (TPBARs) to be irradiated in each of the two commercial Watts Bar reactors. The plan will increase production of TPBARs “per operating cycle” from 1,792 to 2,496. The increased tritium production means: 1) tritium leakage into the reactors’ cooling systems and discharge into the environment, including the Tennessee River, will increase; 2) production of fresh TPBARs at the dual use commercial-military Westinghouse fuel factory in Columbia, South Carolina will increase; 3) processing of irradiated TPBARs at the Savannah River Site will increase significantly, along with more onsite radioactive waste disposal; 4) SRS will be able to fill more reservoirs with a full tritium charge, to give the warheads maximum explosive capability; and 5) the government will continue to violate international non-proliferation norms by producing nuclear weapon materials in civilian nuclear power reactors. For more see the Nov. 2021 report, “Crossing the Line: South Carolina Nuclear Weapons Secrets Exposed.” — Tom Clements, Savannah River Site Watch, Apr. 23, 2024.
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