Nuclear plant gets special pass to hoard more spent fuel
Published Date: 3/19/2025
Notice
Summary
Constellation Energy got a special okay from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to store more spent nuclear fuel at Nine Mile Point Nuclear Station than usual, using 15 multi-purpose canisters with a slight change in storage rules. This lets them keep things safe while handling extra fuel without extra costs or delays. The exemption started on March 12, 2025, helping the plant manage its fuel smoothly.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
NRC OKs 9 Stored and 6 New Canisters
The NRC granted Constellation an exemption on March 12, 2025, allowing Nine Mile Point to keep nine already-loaded MPC-89-CBS multi-purpose canisters in the HI-STORM Flood/Wind storage system and to load six additional MPC-89-CBS beginning in May 2025. The exemption applies even though those canisters do not meet the terms of Certificate of Compliance No. 1032, Amendment No. 3, Revision No. 0.
Avoids Extra Fuel Handling and Worker Exposure
By granting the exemption, the NRC avoided requiring Constellation to unload the nine MPC-89-CBS and reload fuel into older canisters. That avoided additional fuel handling that the document says would have caused additional onsite radiation exposure and increased the risk of fuel handling and heavy-load accidents for plant personnel.
NRC Found No Significant Environmental Impact
The NRC performed an environmental assessment and published a finding of no significant impact on March 11, 2025. The staff concluded the exemption would not change the types or amounts of radiological or non-radiological effluents released offsite and would not cause a significant increase in occupational or public radiation exposure.
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