By John Stang
The Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) in Nebraska on May 13 completed moving all spent fuel at the retired Fort Calhoun Station nuclear power plant into dry storage.
Workers began moving the first of 30 canisters on Oct. 14, 2019. Overall, the 30 canisters hold 944 bundles of used fuel, according to a presentation given to the OPPD Board of Directors on May 14.
Nuclear logistics provider Orano TN installed 32 new modules for the plant’s used-fuel storage pad, alongside 10 modules already in place. The company also built the new canisters, which each weighed 46,000 pounds before being loaded with the radioactive waste. Personnel from OPPD placed the bundles into the canisters, while Orano TN workers transported them to the storage pad at the facility about 20 miles outside of Omaha.
Terms of the contract with Orano TN are confidential, according to OPPD.
The dry storage of the fuel is expected to cost $7.5 million per year. There are now 42 used-fuel modules, 10 of which were already loaded with canisters and two that remain empty for now. The fuel will remain on-site until some means of off-site storage or disposal is available.
When OPPD retired the Fort Calhoun Station in October 2016 after 43 years of service, it planned to place the pressurized-water reactor into SAFSTOR, under which final decommissioning can be delayed for up to 60 years while radiation levels drop and funding levels grow. However, in 2019, OPPD approved a plan to speed up decommissioning, with completion planned for 2026.
Officials at the Omaha Public Power District reconsidered based on the belief that expedited decommissioning would reduce financial liability, address climate hazards earlier, and increase flexibility in costs and scheduling.
Some decommissioning work has already begun, according to OPPD. This includes setting up a decommissioning power system and preparing major and auxiliary buildings for demolition. Preparations will soon begin to dismantle the reactor, with that work scheduled for 2022 to 2023. Demolition and debris removal is set to extend from 2023 to 2025.
Omaha Public Power District personnel are primarily conducting the work, with assistance from nuclear services firm EnergySolutions and some subcontractors. EnergySolutions was hired in 2019 to provide “technical and specialized project expertise” for the project.
As of December 2019, OPPD estimated a $1.13 billion price tag — including $113 million for contingencies — for decommissioning, site restoration, and used-fuel storage operations at Fort Calhoun. That compares to just shy of $2.5 billion for SAFSTOR. OPPD reported $549 million in its decommissioning trust fund as of Dec. 31, 2019.
