NRC FINDS NO SAFETY BENEFIT TO MOVING SPENT FUEL FROM POOLS MORE QUICKLY

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is seeking public comment on a draft study on whether removing spent nuclear fuel from storage pools reduces risks to public health and safety. The study, called for in response to the Fukushima plant disaster following an earthquake and tsunami, concludes there is approximately a one-in-10-million-years chance of a severe earthquake causing a radioactive release from the pool at the site examined. For the scenarios examined, the study concluded faster fuel transfer to casks would not provide a significant safety benefit for the plant studied. “Our detailed analysis showed that even a very strong earthquake has a low probability of damaging the pool studied to the point of losing water,” Brian Sheron, Director of the NRC’s Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research, said in a statement. “The draft study also shows that even if this particular pool was damaged, the fuel could be kept safely cool in all but a few exceptional circumstances. We’ll use the final study to inform further analysis of U.S. spent fuel pools.”

 

The study considered a spent fuel pool similar to those at Fukushima and 23 other U.S. reactors, and an earthquake several times stronger than what the pool’s design considered. The study examined both a “full” spent fuel pool and one with less fuel and more spacing between individual fuel assemblies, as well as emergency procedures for adding water to the pool in the unlikely event that the earthquake causes the pool to lose water. The public may comment as soon as the rule is filed in the Federal Register, which the NRC said is expected soon.