The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is moving ahead with a set of updates to its oversight of dry-storage pads for spent nuclear fuel, including downshifting the schedule for standard inspections to once every three years.
The agency intends this year to complete the revisions to its independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) inspection program, with all measures implemented beginning in 2021, according to a March 19 memo to staff from Andrea Kock, director of the NRC Division of Fuel Management.
The memo was circulated a week after the final recommendations from a working group on the ISFSI inspection enhancement effort. It was made public on May 6.
“Successful implementation of the working group’s recommendations will ensure that the NRC maintains focus on its mission while supporting the NRC’s vision of becoming a modern, risk-informed regulator by embracing improvements in our decision-making and a graded approach to safety,” Kock wrote.
Kock signed off on all five recommendations submitted by the working group formed in 2019 with staff from NRC headquarters in Rockville, Md., and the agency’s regional offices. They include establishing a “cross-qualification” program for NRC personnel already rated to inspect reactors and paying for inspections strictly from the Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation account.
Spent-fuel inspections are currently performed on a “two-year, not to exceed three years,” schedule for monitoring and recurring loading operations, and more frequently during construction, preoperational testing, and first loading. There are about 80 ISFSIs in 35 states. The working group determined there was no higher count of regulatory infractions among sites inspected every three years instead of two years.
The agency’s Inspection and Oversight Branch will make revisions to the ISFSI inspection manual and procedures, with input from one working group member from each region.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this article contained the incorrect date for the memo from Andrea Kock of the NRC.
