Feds to review Indian Point fuel storage plan

October

BUCHANAN – Federal regulators are set to review Indian Point’s plans for moving and storing spent nuclear fuel on site, but say they won’t be pushed by the company’s desire for a fast-track approval.
“The company wants it by August of 2010 … so they’ll be ready for Indian Point’s refueling in the spring of 2011,” said Neil Sheehan, spokes-man for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “We’re somewhat skeptical that it can be done by then.”
Normally, such a review takes 12 to 24 months, Sheehan said, and the NRC just notified Indian Point Wednesday by mail that the application was complete.
Entergy Nuclear, which owns Indian Point, announced its intention to apply in mid-June.
At issue is shrinking storage space for the used uranium rods that have fulfilled their purpose but still hold enough radioactivity to need special handling and long-term storage solutions.
Every spring, one of the two working reactors at the Buchanan site gets a refill of one-third of its fuel, and the rods that no longer can be used have to be stored in deep water or specially built casks.
With a national repository for nuclear waste effectively bound up in Washington politics, the nation’s 104 reactors are storing their used fuel on location, often with limited flexibility because of lack of space.
Indian Point wants to be able to move fuel between storage pools and store some of it in casks that regulators have yet to approve.
“We want to look at their entire plan, including equipment and transfer path,” Sheehan said. “We’re not going to let (their need for more refueling space by 2011) drive the that schedule.”
Sheehan said there will be an opportunity for members of the public to request a hearing on the proposed change.

This entry was posted on Friday, October 16th, 2009 at 12:38 pm by Greg Clary.
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