Wyoming legislative leaders voted earlier this month to explore whether the state should host a consolidated interim storage site for used nuclear reactor fuel — similar to projects underway in New Mexico and Texas.
The 7-6 email vote on July 8 by the state Legislature’s Management Council paved the way for establishment of the seven-member study panel. All seven lawmakers from both chambers of the Legislature are Republicans, the Wyoming news website WyoFile reported Tuesday.
Wyoming’s coal industry is struggling with the recent closure of two mines, which translates to a loss of tax revenue to the state, according to WyoFile. State Sen. Jim Anderson (R) told WyoFile a temporary spent fuel storage site could provide $1 billion in annual revenue to the state. Two areas eyed for potential storage are the Gas Hills and Shirley Basin, both home to uranium mines.
Anderson also speculated to WyoFile that the storage of used nuclear fuel would likely last five to 10 years — an estimate that is drastically shorter than predictions for the proposed sites in New Mexico and Texas.
The interim storage facilities would be stopgap measures until the federal government completes a permanent repository for used fuel and other nuclear wastes at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, or elsewhere.
Interim Storage Partners hopes to obtain an initial 40-year license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2021 or 2022 to build and operate an interim storage site in western Texas. The tentative construction completion date is 2023 or 2024, beginning with 5,000 metric tons of storage capacity.
Meanwhile, Holtec International hopes by 2023 to open the initially licensed part of its used fuel facility, with underground-storage capacity for 8,680 metric tons between the cities of Hobbs and Carlsbad in New Mexico. The site could ultimately exceed 100,000 metric tons of capacity, potentially licensed for up to 120 years.
