The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has certified Holtec International’s latest spent nuclear fuel transportation package.
The Camden, N.J., energy technology company last week announced the approval following a review that began in February 2018, which will allow it to deploy the HI-STAR 100MB. Management expects it will be used to ship spent fuel from nuclear power plants to Holtec’s planned consolidated interim storage site in New Mexico.
“Within the United States, the HI-STORE CISF is the most likely transport location, so it will likely be the first use,” Holtec spokesman Joe Delmar said by email Monday. “There may be potential international uses prior to the HI-STORE CISF operation.”
Actual shipments would follow a “competent authority certification” from the Department of Transportation, citing the NRC approval, Delmar said. The Transportation Department process generally takes about two weeks, he added.
The transport cask is capable of carrying used fuel in multipurpose canisters, as well as material that is not in a container. It can carry moderate-burnup and high-burnup fuel and can be stored on-site, according to a Holtec release.
“Developing ever more robust transport casks with ever more versatility to make fuel transport on our nation’s railroads ever safer is a core mission of our Nuclear Power Division. HI-STAR 100MB exemplifies our new generation of transport casks that fulfill the above mission in full measure,” Stefan Anton, Holtec vice president of engineering and licensing, said in the release.
In March 2017, Holtec applied for a license from the NRC to build and operate its underground storage facility that could ultimately hold more than 100,000 metric tons of spent fuel. The agency expects by March 2021 to complete its technical review on the application, which would precede a ruling. With regulatory approval, construction could start by 2022 and operations in 2024, Delmar stated.
