Mar. 24--Federal authorities Monday gave Pacific Gas and Electric Co.
permission to build an above-ground storage facility for highly radioactive used
fuel at Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is one of the key milestones in
the utility's efforts to build the facility. It comes as state and local
officials are asking a federal court to force the agency to publicly review the
environmental consequences of a terrorist attack on the storage site. The agency reviewed how well the installation would withstand various
hazards, including earthquakes, fire and explosions, and found that it would
adequately protect public health and safety. "What this shows is that PG&E has met the NRC's requirements for
safety and security," said Jeff Lewis, plant spokesman. The license is valid for 20 years and may be renewed. The utility must also get approval from the county and ultimately the state
Coastal Commission before the facility can be built. County supervisors are
scheduled to consider the project April 20. The facility will consist of a series of thick concrete slabs on a hillside
behind the power plant. As many as 138 huge concrete-and- steel cylinders will
be bolted upright onto the slabs. Each of these cylinders, called dry casks, will contain 32 used but still
highly radioactive fuel assemblies pulled out of the power plant. The dry-cask
facility could store all of the irradiated fuel generated by the plant through
its current operating license period, which ends in 2025. PG&E hopes to begin loading the first dry casks in 2006. The storage facility was proposed two months after the 2001 terrorist
attacks. Concerns were raised that the used fuel could be a tempting target for
terrorists. Nuclear activists wanted a full airing of the terrorist threat, but
the NRC balked, saying the prospect of a terrorist attack is speculative. This prompted a lawsuit by the San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace. The
attorneys general of California, Massachusetts, Utah and Washington, as well as
San Luis Obispo County, have filed briefs in support of the Mothers for Peace. PG&E and NRC officials maintain the facility will be safe. They also say
that many aspects of plant security must be kept secret. "At some point, you begin to compromise security when you reveal too
much information," Lewis said.