DOE Packaging for Long Term Storage Mission of Radioactive Material

The Department of Energy (DOE) must maintain receipt, storage, and retrieval capability of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF), High-Level radioactive Waste (HLW), and Greater Than Class C (GTCC) materials for over 60 years. This capability is required for DOE to meet material consolidation, footprint reduction, nonproliferation, and regulatory obligations. DOE has successfully de-inventoried materials from several sites and facilities. These consolidated materials are being stored and most will eventually transported for processing and/or eventual disposal. The DOE administers a wide range of certified shipping packages for the transportation of materials to include special nuclear material (SNM) and spent nuclear fuel (SNF). All existing cask storage systems at DOE sites are managed under facility Documented Safety Analysis (DSA), or licensed by NRC, on a case by case basis. In some cases the rate and volume of production supports the construction of dedicated facilities for material storage (e.g., Defense Waste Processing Facility HLW glass). For uncertain production rates, erratic receipt schedules, and for small volumes of diverse materials, cask storage systems meet economic and programmatic goals effectively. Under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, the NRC is responsible for licensing storage systems and transportation containers used for SNF, HLW, and GTCC waste. The regulatory requirements for license reviews of storage systems are 10 CFR Part 72, Licensing Requirements for the Independent Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel, High-Level Radioactive Waste, and Reactor-Related Greater Than Class C Waste. Under this regulation, the NRC issues Certificates of Compliance (CoCs) for dry spent fuel storage systems for use at multiple commercial storage sites. DOE storage systems should be designed, fabricated, and independently certified (i.e., licensed) to 10 CFR Part 72. These systems would also target the materials identified in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 as the responsibility of the DOE (e.g., GTCC, sealed sources, activated metals, etc.). A single DOE storage certificate would authorize storage at multiple DOE facilities and sites without performing extensive, independent design, and analysis work at each facility.