nuclear-news

“Over time, [nuclear fuel] burnup has increased, allowing utilities to get more power out of their fuel before replacing it. Average burnup, around 35 GWd/MTU two decades ago, is over 45 GWd/MTU today. How hot and radioactive spent fuel is depends on burnup, the fuel’s initial makeup and conditions in the core. All these factors must be taken into account in designing dry storage and transport systems for spent fuel.” http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/bg-high-burnup-spent-fuel.html

Comment to the US NRC for 5/18/2015 High Burnup Fuel meeting, by Donna Gilmore of San Onofre Safety (Emphasis added):

The Nuclear Energy Institute, “NEI’s statement in today’s (5/8/2015) HBF meeting that high burnup fuel will be the same as lower burnup fuel is not supported by data. Also, when I pressed for data, NEI admitted their claim that “high burnup is better” based on how it acts in the reactor, not in dry storage…