Westinghouse Public Meeting & Hearing
DHEC’s Bureau of Water and Bureau of Air Quality will hold an informational public meeting on June 6, 2023, at 6:00 pm, followed by a public hearing at 7:00 pm at the Richland County Recreation Commission, Adult Activity Center, 8620 Garners Ferry Road, Hopkins, SC 29061. Although not required, pre-registration is encouraged.
A public meeting will begin at 6 pm to share information and answer questions. This informational public meeting will be followed by a formal public hearing beginning at 7 pm. The hearing will be conducted by a hearing officer where oral and written comments will be accepted. Oral presentations may be limited to a fixed, reasonable amount of time.
If you have any questions about this form or participating in the public meeting or hearing, please contact Monica Taylor at 803-898-7678 or taylormn@dhec.sc.gov. Individuals with disabilities or special needs should contact DHEC at least one week prior to the community meeting to discuss any special services required.
Air Permit #1900-0050
Westinghouse is permitted to operate a nuclear fuel assembly fabrication facility in compliance with state and federal air quality regulations. Operations include chemical conversion of uranium hexafluoride to uranium dioxide, pellet formation, material recovery operations, and mechanical component manufacturing. Westinghouse has submitted a request to renew their State Operating Permit. Westinghouse is allowed to continue operating under the conditions of the expired operating permit until such time as the renewal request has been acted upon. Although renewal of this permit does not require a public notice or public comment period, DHEC has agreed to provide both prior to making a final permit decision.
- State Operating Air Permit
- State Operating Air Permit Renewal Application
- Draft State Operating Air Renewal Permit
Process Exemption
Westinghouse notified the Bureau of Air Quality, by correspondence received July 21, 2022, that it intends to process 522 drums containing Wet Combustible Material (WCM) waste contaminated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including tetrachloroethylene (TCE). The WCM will be treated using a Heated Vacuum Extraction (HVE) method meeting the conditional exemption under 40 CFR 266.100(d)(2), over the course of approximately twelve months. The WCM would then be processed to extract residual uranium from the resulting ash.
The HVE method was tested on the WCM by Westinghouse and their consultant, GEL Engineering LLC. The results demonstrate that the method successfully removes VOCs from the waste to concentrations below regulatory limits. The extracted VOCs are condensed as liquid waste, which will be disposed of appropriately according to the SCHWMR. The calculated total amount of VOCs, including TCE, emitted to the atmosphere when the 522 drums of WCM are processed are below the regulatory thresholds that would require an air quality construction permit or an ambient air quality compliance demonstration.
DHEC concurs, after reviewing the test results and accompanying information, that the HVE processing and incineration of the processed WCM will not require an air quality construction permit or an ambient air quality compliance demonstration, in accordance with S.C. Regulation 61-62.1, Section II(B).