US NRC approves plan for spent nuclear fuel storage in Utah

Washington (Platts)--22Feb2006

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday issued a license to
Private Fuel Storage LLC to build and operate an independent spent nuclear
fuel storage facility in Skull Valley, Utah. The company still must gain
approval from other government agencies and prove it has the money for the
project before it can begin construction. 

     "We're very pleased that the 8 1/2 year long licensing process has
resulted in a license," PFS Chairman John Parkyn said in a statement. "It has
been a very rigorous process in which PFS proved that the facility will be
built and operated in compliance with federal regulations designed to protect
public health and safety." 

     Parkyn said in an interview that it would be up to utilities to decide to
invest in the facility, which is planned for the reservation of the Skull
Valley Band of Goshute Indians, about 50 miles from Salt Lake City. 

     The facility is intended for temporary above-ground storage, in
cylindrical casks, of up to 44,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel from US
reactors. The license is effective for 20 years. 

     PFS, which is made up of eight utilities, must obtain necessary approvals
from other agencies, including the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of
Indian Affairs and the Surface Transportation Board before proceeding. 

     Utah's congressional delegation has vowed to stop the project. Last year,
Congress passed a defense authorization bill with a provision establishing a
wilderness area near the site, effectively blocking a rail line that would
haul waste to the reservation. 

     BLM is deciding whether to approve a facility where waste casks would be
transferred from trains to trucks 20 miles from the site.

                   ---Daniel Whitten, daniel_whitten@platts.com

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