NRC’s deputy director of operations Glenn Tracy made the comments Monday during the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management’s “Spent Fuel Seminar” in Washington, D.C., an event that ran Monday through Wednesday. Representatives for the applicants, Waste Control Specialists (WCS) and Holtec International, appeared on Wednesday to discuss the sites they hope to have in operation by 2020.
The NRC expects WCS’ application in April and Holtec’s in June, with both companies applying for a 40-year license to store spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. WCS is exploring a location in Andrews, Texas, while Holtec is surveying a site in southeast New Mexico, between Carlsbad and Hobbs.
Discussion of consent-based siting was a common theme at the seminar, with Department of Energy and other industry experts sharing perspective in light of the DOE’s December announcement that it is formally seeking locations for the program. DOE acting assistant secretary for nuclear energy John Kotek said Monday that the agency will be in listening mode for the next six to eight months as it gathers public comment for its draft siting process.