The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has docketed the Department of Energy’s license amendment application for the Fort St. Vrain independent spent fuel storage installation in Colorado.
The NRC published the notice of docketing the amendment Monday in the Federal Register.
In September 2024, the DOE submitted an amendment that would modify particular license conditions and technical specifications. It was amended by correcting clerical errors, tweaking references to organizational components of DOE and changing the description of the DOE official in charge of the operation and nuclear safety of Fort St. Vrain spent fuel storage facility.
The Fort St. Vrain spent fuel storage facility served as an onsite storage waste facility for the Fort St. Vrain nuclear plant. The plant operated from the late 1970s to late 1980s but shut down due to operational issues.
After the nuclear plant was decommissioned in the early 1990s, the site was subsequently retrofitted for a natural gas plant.
In changing the holder of the license, the DOE shifted the responsibility from the deputy manager to the manager for the Idaho Cleanup Project at the Idaho National Laboratory.
Former Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm designated the manager of nuclear cleanup at the Idaho National Laboratory to be the authorized representative for the NRC special nuclear material licenses, outlined in the July 2024 designation order.
The NRC informed the DOE in a letter from March that it has completed its acceptance review of the application.
