NRC Commissioner Presses for Dry-Cask Storage After Pool Cooling

摘要

A U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission member has suggested the federal government require that spent fuel be moved to dry-cask storage after it has been in cooling pools for five years.rnThe proposal from NRC Commissioner Gregory Jaczko came during the Nuclear Energy Institute's Dry Storage Information Forum in Bonita Springs, Fla. Jaczko said it would be safer to store spent nuclear fuel rods in steel and concrete containers called dry casks than in water-filled concrete pits known as wet pools.rn"I believe that spent fuel can be safely and securely managed at reactor sites for many years to come," said Jaczko. "I believe NRC should develop new regulations [that] require spent fuel [to] be moved to dry-cask storage after it has been allowed to cool for five years. This step, recognizing the inherent safety benefits of dry storage and combining that knowledge with ... new security regulations under development, will provide a safer and more secure disposition for spent fuel in the short term."