Friday, April 9, 2010

Miami Herald: Concern raised over nuclear waste storage at Turkey Point

Nuclear regulators are questioning spent-fuel issues at Turkey Point as FLorida Power & Light squeezes more waste into holding pools.

BY JOHN DORSCHNER
jdorschner@MiamiHerald.com


The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has called a special meeting next week to discuss three apparent violations involving a spent-fuel pool at Turkey Point -- a critical issue as the long-held plans for storing waste in Nevada have collapsed.

Technically, the meeting in Atlanta on Wednesday involves the degradation of ``a neutron-absorbing material called Boraflex in the Unit 3 spent-fuel pool.''

Used nuclear fuel has been building up at Turkey Point for the 35 years of its operation.

The degradation involves systems intended to cram more spent fuel into the pools, according to Lawrence King, a former NRC inspector.

More than two million pounds of waste now sit at the South Miami-Dade site in pools of water -- although Florida Power & Light spokesman Michael Waldron says it's more accurate to think of the spent rods as occupying a 16-foot cube if bunched together

Read more: miamiherald.com

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1 comment:

  1. Yes, we have no plan for disposal of nuclear waste. Add that to the long list of reasons why nuclear power is not a sustainable energy option. Linked to your article from
    Green Tallahassee on 4/12/10

    ReplyDelete