nuclear-news

Shot at nuclear fuel truck a cause for greater worry

Shot at nuclear fuel truck troubles watchdog group

By TOM FOWLER  Houston Chronicle Aug. 28, 2009

Shotgun damage to a truck carrying uranium fuel rods to a Texas nuclear power plant last year posed little, if any, immediate radiation danger, but it highlights potential problems the industry could face, a nuclear power industry watchdog says.

The shotgun damage was discovered on the driver’s side of the truck on the morning of Sept. 20, as it delivered eight uranium fuel rods to the South Texas Project nuclear power plant near Bay City, according to a safety report filed at the plant last year.

The driver of the truck, operated by the Utah firm EnergySolutions, said he heard what sounded like a tire blowout several hours earlier while driving through another state. He stopped the truck to check but didn’t see the door damage…………………

………..a fuel rod that has been in a reactor and undergone fission is highly radioactive and can deliver lethal doses within minutes. That’s why trucks carrying spent fuel have much higher security specifications than vehicles that carry new fuel rods, said Scott Burnell, a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Shot at nuclear fuel truck troubles watchdog group | Business | Chron.com – Houston Chronicle

August 31, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 1, safety, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, radioactive