SALT LAKE CITY, Jul 9, 2010 -- UPI



The U.S. government is looking for even a temporary storage site for 10,000 drums of depleted uranium from a South Carolina nuclear plant, Utah officials said.

The waste was supposed to have been stored permanently in Utah by EnergySolutions Inc. But the state intervened as the first shipment arrived, seeking more information from the Salt Lake City company and a review of the site.

Now the U.S. Department of Energy is searching for sites outside of Utah where the waste can remain for up to seven years, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Thursday. Temporary storage bids are being accepted until next Thursday.

Utah officials say regulatory review will take at least a year once EnergySolutions submits its report, which the company says will happen at year's end.

Depleted uranium, unlike other forms of nuclear waste, grows more dangerous as it ages, making storage difficult.

The first shipment from the Savannah River site, 5,400 barrels, is now in an EnergySolutions storage cell in Utah. The rest is still in South Carolina.

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