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Oyster Creek’s waste stockpile just gets larger

Oyster Creek’s waste stockpile just gets larger pressof AtlanticCity.com By BEN LEACH 9 April 09 , Oyster Creek isn’t going anywhere, and neither is a stockpile of accumulated nuclear waste………………………………….While exact figures are not available for the amount at Oyster Creek, there are 2,180 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel in the state, according to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s 2008-2009 Information Digest………………………. the spent fuel at most nuclear plants across the country goes into storage on the site of the nuclear plant. Oyster Creek stores all of its spent fuel on-site……………………. At Oyster Creek, spent fuel rods must be kept in the on-site storage pool for at least 10 years, according to a Lacey Township ordinance. From there, the rods are typically moved to the “dry” method, which involves placing them in a concrete cask.

The structures – 10 feet wide, 15 feet tall and 20 feet long – are made from reinforced concrete. According to David Benson, a spokesman for Oyster Creek, there are 20 modules at the plant, 16 of which are full.

Each chamber weighs about 600 pounds, with almost two-thirds of that weight a result of the spent fuel itself.

Those modules are protected by security around the clock,…………………..

Paul Gunter, director of reactor oversight for Beyond Nuclear Inc., a national nuclear watchdog, said the storage casks remain in plain sight despite security measures.

“Some kind of passing vehicle could just stop and shoot any of these casks from Route 9,” Gunter said.

The protection of nuclear waste is more than just a local issue.

Oyster Creek’s waste stockpile just gets larger

April 10, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | USA, wastes | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive, uranium