Interim Storage & Waste Disposal

The Yucca Mountain environmental safety case gained a big win last week when Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff found that the radiological impacts on groundwater surrounding the Nevada site as a result of the proposed repository would be “small.” The staff’s draft analysis for the supplemental environmental impact statement, released last week, for Yucca bolsters the […]

Idaho has two months to make a decision on whether to allow the Department of Energy to ship additional spent nuclear fuel intended for research at the Idaho National Laboratory, according to a letter sent to Idaho Gov. Butch Otter this week by the Idaho Department of Commerce Director Jeff Sayer. According to the letter, […]

The Nuclear Waste Strategy Coalition on Tuesday announced Sarah Hofmann, a Vermont Public Service Board member, as its new chair. Hofmann, a former director of a New England association of state utility commissioners and now a Vermont utility regulator, replaces Greg White, who has retired from the Michigan Public Service Commission. “I am excited to […]

Member s of Michigan’s congressional delegation are taking stronger steps to ensure an international organization charged with overseeing the Great Lakes intervenes in Ontario Power Generation’s proposed deep geologic repository. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), along with Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.), yesterday announced legislation, entitled the “Stop Nuclear Waste by Our Lakes […]

As is our annual practice, RadWaste Monitor is taking a summer publication break and will not publish for the next two weeks. The next regular issue will be on your desk Aug. 22. Subscribers to the Weapons Complex Morning Briefing service will receive editions twice-a-week on a Tuesday/Thursday basis during the break. In addition, we […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 8/7/2015 Amid reports of disagreement between the nuclear industry and senior senators on the path forward on management of U.S. nuclear waste, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee canceled the Aug. 4 hearing to discuss the bipartisan “Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2015.” No official reason was given for […]

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee canceled last week the Aug. 4 hearing to discuss the bipartisan Nuclear Waste Administration Act of 2015. No reason for the cancellation was given, but the committee’s priorities have focused on the comprehensive energy package meant to update the nation’s energy infrastructure and policies. The bill was introduced […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/31/2015 Holtec International plans next month to submit a letter of intent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regarding its proposal to construct a spent nuclear fuel consolidated interim storage facility in southeastern New Mexico, Holtec Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer Pierre Oneid said Wednesday during a Nuclear Energy Insider […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/31/2015 House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) on Tuesday remained noncommittal regarding a time frame for moving forward a legislative solution to address nuclear waste storage. Speaking at the National Journal’s “Conversation with the Chair” series in Washington, D.C., Upton said he remained “hopeful” that some legislation […]

RW Monitor 7/31/2015 IN THE INDUSTRY The California Public Utilities Commission approved late last week the use of close to $400 million from Southern California Edison’s San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s decommissioning trust fund. Those funds, according to local reports, will help cover the costs that incurred while shutting down the plant in the last […]

An article appearing in the July 23 edition of RW Monitor incorrectly connected a possible part 61 rule update involving TRU waste to the current part 61 update focused on Site Specific Assessment (SSA) rulemaking, begun in 2009 to address disposal of large quantities of depleted uranium. Each Part 61 rule update if enacted would […]

Holtec International plans next month to submit a letter of intent to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regarding its proposal to construct a spent nuclear fuel consolidated interim storage facility in southeastern New Mexico, Holtec Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer Pierre Oneid said Wednesday during a Nuclear Energy Insider webinar entitled “Consolidated Interim Storage Facilities.” […]

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) on Tuesday remained noncommittal regarding a time frame for moving forward a legislative solution to address nuclear waste storage. Speaking at the National Journal’s “Conversation with the Chair” series in Washington, D.C., Upton said he remained “hopeful” that some legislation addressing the problem either by advancing […]

Entergy has chosen the Holtec International’s HI-STORM 100 dry storage system at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station, Holtec announced yesterday. Vermont Yankee had already provided dry casks storage at the site for a first storage area, but a second concrete pad is needed for the additional fuel. Entergy has said in the past that […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/24/2015 The Department of Energy is aiming for a fall 2016 start date for a demonstration project on the use of deep boreholes for the disposal of high-level nuclear waste, a DOE official said last month during a meeting of the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB). Deputy Assistant Secretary […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/24/2015 Nevada Sens. Harry Reid (D) and Dean Heller (R), both strong opponents of the Yucca Mountain waste storage facility plan, this week introduced legislation that would require state consent before any Nuclear Waste Fund money could be spent on the transport of spent nuclear fuel to a potential repository. […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/24/2015 A federal claims judge last week awarded Entergy Nuclear Palisades $20.6 million for damages caused by the Department of Energy’s failure to dispose of spent nuclear fuel from a company power plant, as outlined in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA). Entergy is seeking $36.4 million for the government’s […]

RW Monitor 7/24/2015 IN THE INDUSTRY AREVA TN’s EOS (Extended Optimized Storage) System license application could receive Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval as early as 2016, the company announced this week. The new EOS system is an evolution of AREVA’s NUHOMS extended spent nuclear fuel storage containers, holding up to 89 BWR fuel assemblies. The company […]

AREVA TN’s EOS (Extended Optimized Storage) System license application could receive Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval as early as 2016, the company announced yesterday. The new EOS system is an evolution of AREVA’s NUHOMS extended spent nuclear fuel storage containers, holding up 89 BWR fuel assemblies. The company said that the NRC formally accepted its letter […]

The Bipartisan Policy Center announced last week that it would begin issuing a series of five briefs on the management of nuclear waste, culminating in an October information meeting. The briefs are the result of the BPC’s five regional meetings hosted in the past year on stakeholder and regional concerns on the management of spent […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/17/2015 President Barack Obama late last week signed a presidential order creating a national monument in the Basin and Range area of southeastern Nevada, while potentially putting the future of the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste storage site at further risk. The Basin and Range monument includes an area that would […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/17/2015 The Department of Energy is moving forward with the generic design of an interim spent nuclear fuel storage facility, according to a sources sought notice issued on FedBizOpps this week. The notice seeks interested small business-qualified contractors to prepare a generic design for a pilot facility and a Topical […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/17/2015 Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) last week successfully attached an amendment to the Senate’s Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations bill that would invoke an International Joint Commission review of Ontario Power Generation’s proposed deep geologic repository in Kincardine. OPG plans to dispose of intermediate and low-level […]

RW Monitor 7/17/2015 IN DOE Department of Energy Inspector General Gregory Friedman this week announced his plans to retire after serving for 17 years as DOE’s internal investigative official. Friedman will step down effective Oct. 3, 2015, which would end his run as longest-serving federal inspector general at a cabinet-level agency. “While the mission is […]

The Department of Energy is making plans to move forward with the generic design of an interim storage facility, according to a sources sought notice issued on FedBizOpps this week. The notice seeks interested small business-qualified contractors to prepare a generic design for a pilot facility and a Topical Safety Analysis Report (TSAR) on the […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/10/2015 The Department of Energy issued a Request for Proposals this week for its Deep Borehole Field Test procurement, according to a notice issued on FedBizOpps. DOE is hoping to expand its research and development efforts for deep boreholes after the disposal method has been recommended multiple times for some […]

Lance Moore RW Monitor 7/10/2015 The Department of Energy has been seeking to better understand on-the-ground conditions at shutdown plant sites as they relate to the movement of spent nuclear fuel, DOE Acting Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy John Kotek said June 26 at a Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee meeting. As the […]

Jeremy L. Dillon RW Monitor 7/10/2015 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission remains on-schedule to complete the Yucca Mountain supplemental Environment Impact Statement within the estimated timeframe of 12-15 months, according to the NRC’s monthly update to congressional leaders on Nuclear Waste Fund expenditures. “The Commission has approved the staff’s schedule and revised cost estimate for completing […]