Update on the waste control specialists (WCS) plans for consolidated interim storage of used nuclear fuel - 5011

In February 2015, Waste Control Specialists, LLC (WCS) announced its intent to file a license application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build and operate a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for used nuclear fuel (UNF) by 2020, deploying existing technology at an existing community-approved location on its 14,000-acre site in Andrews County, Texas. This near-term private solution includes storage services and transportation for nuclear material from multiple locations in the United States, with a priority focus on fully decommissioned sites. The company partnered with AREVA Inc. to license and to develop the facility, and subsequently, AREVA announced an agreement with NAC International for joint support of the project. Combined, AREVA and NAC represent 62 percent of existing dry storage systems in the U.S., including over 80 percent of used nuclear fuel stored at sites where there is no longer an operating nuclear facility. The WCS CISF project provides a new way forward through public-private cooperation to resolve the continuing storage of used nuclear fuel at both active and decommissioned nuclear plant sites in the absence of a permanent federal repository. This initiative, which has the support of local stakeholders, will deliver an economically viable option for consolidated interim used fuel management while extended considerations for a permanent repository continue. (authors)