INL spent fuel transfers are ahead of schedule

The transfers began in fiscal year 2022, and DOE cleanup contractor Idaho Environmental Coalition (IEC) expects to complete 40 transfers by the end of FY 2025. To date, 30 transfers—75 percent of the total—have been completed.

The fuel had been shipped to the site for storage from the Peach Bottom-1 nuclear power plant, in Delta, Pa., after the plant closed in 1974.

Transfer reason: Corrosion concerns led the DOE’s Office of Environmental Management to initiate the transfers of the fuel storage baskets from first-generation vaults to second-generation vaults, which provide a more controlled storage environment.

The second-generation vaults are of superior construction, according to the DOE. The vaults allow for the removal of water using a sump pump and have been reinforced with support technology. The transfers by IEC place the fuel in a configuration where it can be stored safely for years.

After that work is finished, the Peach Bottom fuel will remain in dry storage until it is packaged and shipped from Idaho for permanent disposal.

Notable: Jay Schnelle, IEC spent fuel shift operations senior manager, attributed the success of the project to the spent fuel workforce at the INL Site’s Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center. That team has reduced the amount of time it normally takes to complete each transfer from as many as eight shifts down to five while maintaining strict safety standards.

“Our workforce has the training and skillset to do this work safely and effectively,” Schnelle said. “Their experience has not only improved processes but has allowed us to get the work done ahead of schedule.”