nuclear-news

USA to halt licensing of nuclear plants: no assurance of nuclear waste solution

U.S. Regulator Halts Nuclear-Plant Licensing, WSJ,  By REBECCA SMITH And RYAN TRACY August 7, 2012,   Court Rules That NRC Can No Longer Accept Assurances a Permanent Waste Repository Is Coming  

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said it would stop issuing licenses for nuclear plants until it addresses problems with its nuclear-waste policy that were raised by a recent federal appeals court decision.

The move, while not expected to affect any nuclear plants right away, shows how the standstill in finding a permanent American nuclear waste dump could undermine the expansion of nuclear power, which is already facing a challenge from cheaper natural gas.
In June, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the NRC’s approach to managing nuclear waste was inconsistent with federal environmental standards.

Until the ruling, the NRC had relied on what is known as the Waste Confidence Decision when issuing new licenses for proposed plants and extending the licenses of existing plants. Under that doctrine, the NRC said it could issue licenses because it had confidence that the U.S. eventually would create a permanent repository. But the Obama administration’s elimination of funding for a proposed repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada made that assertion less believable.

The appeals court struck down the NRC’s finding that there was “reasonable assurance” a permanent waste site would be created “when needed.” It also rejected the NRC’s finding that spent fuel could likely be stored safely for as long as 60 years beyond a plant’s licensed life, either in pools or giant casks. Even if the NRC thinks pool leaks have been harmless so far, the court said, the NRC must still assess the probability and consequence of bigger leaks and other accidents.

The NRC’s move on Tuesday could delay licensing decisions for a year or more, depending on how long it takes the agency to fix the problems identified by the court. No such decisions were expected this year.
Even a multiyear delay would not cause existing reactors to shut down. They can continue to operate so long as they sought extensions at least five years before their licenses expired.

Environmentalists responded positively to the NRC decision, the first major step by incoming Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane, who is a nuclear waste expert.

Richard Webster of the Public Justice environmental group said the courts wouldn’t allow the NRC to operate under the “illusion” that the existing system of waste storage is sufficient. Diane Curran, an environmental attorney who represented several citizens’ groups on the issue, said the NRC has “a lot of homework” and “it is hard for me to see how [the agency’s response] could be finished in a year.”…..
Environmentalists are worried about leaking spent fuel pools and the risk of fires if something happens that allows water to boil off or drain away. That fear became more acute in the aftermath of the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, which suffered explosions in the vicinity of spent fuel pools.

One option for the U.S. is requiring operators to move spent fuel more quickly to dry storage casks….http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443517104577575561397701568.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

August 9, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA