NRC Proposes Extending Licenses for 20 More Years for Dry Cask Storage of Nuclear Spent Fuel
Sep 17 - The Day, Conn. -
>
> The federal regulator of nuclear power has proposed allowing the
> renewal of licenses for dry cask storage of spent fuel to be extended
> from 20 years to 40 years.
>
> The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's proposed rule change would
> also allow new dry cask storage facilities to be licensed for 40
> years.
> It would
> likewise allow the casks that contain the spent fuel to be approved
> for certificates of compliance for up to 40 years.
>
> The proposed rule changes were published Tuesday in the Federal
> Register. The NRC is accepting public comment for the next 74 days.
>
> The current duration of the licenses and certificates of
> compliance are for up to 20 years. Reactor owners seeking lengthier
> licenses must get an exemption under the existing rules.
>
> At the Millstone Power Station in Waterford, 19 bunkers are in
> place and 11 of them house casks containing older spent fuel, said Jim
> Norvelle, a spokesman for Dominion, the owner of the nuclear power
> complex. The fuel has been moved there from a spent fuel pool at the
> Unit 2 reactor, which was running out of room.
>
> The company holds a 20-year license for the storage facility,
> which was first loaded with fuel in early 2005, as well as 20-year
> certificates of compliance for each of the individual casks loaded
> into bunkers.
>
> Dominion has permission from the state to build up to 49 bunkers
> at the site, but could need 86 more to contain all the nuclear waste
> generated through the extended life of the reactors -- through 2035
> and 2045 for Units
> 2 and 3, respectively.
>
> When seeking license renewal for a facility or for individual dry
> casks, the NRC would also require reactor owners to provide time-
> limited aging analyses and description of an aging-management program
> to ensure that storage casks will perform as designed under the
> extended renewal terms.
>
> Mail comments to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
> Washington, D.C., 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications
> Staff; or e-mail them to [email protected].
>
> [email protected]
>
>
>
> The federal regulator of nuclear power has proposed allowing the
> renewal of licenses for dry cask storage of spent fuel to be extended
> from 20 years to 40 years.
>
> The Nuclear Regulatory Commission's proposed rule change would
> also allow new dry cask storage facilities to be licensed for 40
> years.
> It would
> likewise allow the casks that contain the spent fuel to be approved
> for certificates of compliance for up to 40 years.
>
> The proposed rule changes were published Tuesday in the Federal
> Register. The NRC is accepting public comment for the next 74 days.
>
> The current duration of the licenses and certificates of
> compliance are for up to 20 years. Reactor owners seeking lengthier
> licenses must get an exemption under the existing rules.
>
> At the Millstone Power Station in Waterford, 19 bunkers are in
> place and 11 of them house casks containing older spent fuel, said Jim
> Norvelle, a spokesman for Dominion, the owner of the nuclear power
> complex. The fuel has been moved there from a spent fuel pool at the
> Unit 2 reactor, which was running out of room.
>
> The company holds a 20-year license for the storage facility,
> which was first loaded with fuel in early 2005, as well as 20-year
> certificates of compliance for each of the individual casks loaded
> into bunkers.
>
> Dominion has permission from the state to build up to 49 bunkers
> at the site, but could need 86 more to contain all the nuclear waste
> generated through the extended life of the reactors -- through 2035
> and 2045 for Units
> 2 and 3, respectively.
>
> When seeking license renewal for a facility or for individual dry
> casks, the NRC would also require reactor owners to provide time-
> limited aging analyses and description of an aging-management program
> to ensure that storage casks will perform as designed under the
> extended renewal terms.
>
> Mail comments to Secretary, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
> Washington, D.C., 20555-0001, ATTN: Rulemakings and Adjudications
> Staff; or e-mail them to [email protected].
>
> [email protected]
>
>