NNPP meets Idaho Settlement Agreement spent nuclear fuel dry storage milestone
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - The U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP) announced a major milestone in it's agreement with the Idaho National Laboratory Monday.
NNPP is responsible under federal law for cradle-to-grave management of the Navy’s nuclear fuel. Management of naval spent nuclear fuel on the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is further governed by the 1995 Settlement Agreement and Consent Order (or “Agreement”) among the State of Idaho, the Department of Energy, and the Navy, as amended by the 2008 Navy Addendum.
One of the key provisions of the Agreement is that the Naval Reactors Facility (NRF), operated for the NNPP by the Naval Nuclear Laboratory, would place all naval spent fuel that was in water pool storage prior to January 1, 2017 in dry storage before January 1, 2023.
The NNPP is proud to announce completion of this commitment more than 18 months ahead of schedule.
All required naval spent fuel has been packaged into specialized canisters designed for dry storage, transportation and disposal. Loaded canisters are placed within robust concrete overpacks and stored within dedicated buildings at NRF.
Meeting the dry storage provision of the Idaho Settlement Agreement represents 25 years of NNPP effort, informed by consultation and cooperation with State, Tribal, and local partners.
To date, the NNPP has placed over 30 metric tons of naval spent nuclear fuel in dry storage, representing material from over 250 naval reactor cores.
The Department of Energy’s Idaho Operations Office contributed to this achievement by supporting the transfer of naval spent fuel that was stored in a water pool at INL’s Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center (INTEC) to NRF for packaging.
Approximately 40% of the naval spent fuel that is currently in dry storage was included in this effort.
“The effort to meet this milestone was monumental. It is another example of our continued efforts to protect the environment and our communities while continuing to meet our Program commitments. This achievement was the result of the excellent work done by people across the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and partnering organizations," said Admiral J.F. Caldwell, Jr., Director of Naval Reactors.
