Nuke Plant Gets Special Exemption to Keep Neutron Buddy in Fuel Storage Canister
Published Date: 8/28/2026
Notice
Summary
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a one- time exemption to Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC), authorizing Vogtle Electric Generating Plant Units 1 and 2 (Vogtle 1 and 2) to retain a single Neutron Source Assembly (NSA) in its current storage cell within a multi-purpose canister ((MPC-32), serial number MPC-707) at the Vogtle Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation, in a manner that is inconsistent with the loading restrictions specified in Certificate of Compliance (CoC) No. 1014, Amendment 11, for the HI- STORM 100S Version B dry storage system. The exemption allows the NSA to remain in a peripheral basket cell, contrary to Appendix B, Table 2.1-1, which restricts NSA containing assemblies to designated interior cells. The NRC's determination is based on SNC's safety evaluation and supporting analyses demonstrating that the configuration continues to meet applicable safety requirements for criticality control, shielding, thermal performance, structural integrity, and confinement.
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
One-time exemption to keep misloaded neutron source
On August 21, 2026 the NRC granted Southern Nuclear a one-time exemption allowing a single Neutron Source Assembly (NSA) to remain in a peripheral cell of multi-purpose canister MPC-32 (serial number MPC-707) at the Vogtle ISFSI, even though Certificate of Compliance No. 1014, Amendment 11 restricts NSAs to interior cells. The misload was discovered on December 8, 2025, the NSA had decayed for over 34 years (a Cf-252 source), and the NRC found dose and safety effects to be negligible; the exemption avoids reflooding/unloading that would increase personnel radiation exposure and produce contaminated waste.
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