Zion Receives Fuel Management Exemption

The Nuclear Regulation Commission granted an exemption yesterday that would enable money from Zion’s decommissioning trust fund to go towards irradiated fuel management activities. ZionSolutions, the company responsible for the decommissioning of the plant, has been in the process of removing spent fuel from the pools to dry cask storage. This exemption would enable the company to apply funds from the decommissioning trust to the cleanup. “The Commission has determined that, pursuant to 10 CFR 50.12, an exemption is authorized by law, will not present an undue risk to the public health and safety, is consistent with the common defense and security, and that special circumstances are present,” the NRC said in the Federal Register posting. “Therefore, the Commission hereby grants Zion Solutions an exemption from the requirements of 10 CFR 50.82(a)(8)(i)(A) to authorize ZS to use nuclear decommissioning trust funds to manage irradiated fuel in accordance with the updated Irradiated Fuel Management Plan and PSDAR.”