• Evaluate the near-site transportation infrastructure and utility experience that would be relevant to shipping transportation casks of SNF from each site, as well as identify gaps in information. • Evaluate the actions that will be necessary to prepare for and carry out the removal of SNF and GTCC low-level radioactive waste from each shutdown site. As part of this analysis, DOE defined the programmatic activities that would need to be completed in order to prepare for and execute spent fuel transportation from a shutdown site. The information collected during the shutdown site visits was used to generate illustrative timelines for removing SNF from one individual site as well as collectively from nine of the shutdown sites (Maine Yankee, Yankee Rowe, Connecticut Yankee, Humboldt Bay, Big Rock Point, Rancho Seco, Trojan, La Crosse, and Zion). Sites that were recently shut down and are early on in their decommissioning (Crystal River, Kewaunee, San Onofre, Vermont Yankee, and Fort Calhoun) were not included in the collective analysis of sequence of activities and time durations (Maheras et al. 2017). Through visits to shutdown sites and accompanying research, DOE identified at least one transportation mode from each site that could be utilized for removing SNF. In most cases, a secondary mode was also identified. In order to determine which mode(s) would be feasible, the DOE team evaluated both the capacity and condition of near-site rail infrastructure, characteristics of local roads and highways, and features of any docks, slips, or shoreline located onsite or nearby. Experience shipping large components from the sites during decommissioning informed the evaluation of potential transportation modes from each shutdown site (Maheras 2014). Of the 14 sites included in the most recent analysis, nine had direct rail identified as a potential shipping mode. For five sites, heavy haul truck to rail was identified as a potential shipping mode, and eight sites could ship via barge to rail. Heavy haul truck to barge to rail was identified as a potential shipping mode for three sites (Maheras et al. 2017). DOE-NE’s report also provided preliminary estimates of the necessary tasks and needed timeframe for DOE to prepare and remove SNF from shutdown sites. Preparing onsite infrastructure for loading and transport of SNF would be the responsibility of the site. DOE’s shutdown site analysis assumes any such upgrades would happen in a timely manner prior to receiving equipment necessary for loading and transporting SNF. The activities identified as necessary for shipments were based on the assumption that DOE would bear responsibility for removing SNF from shutdown sites and transporting it to a permanent repository or interim storage facility. If a licensee were responsible for carrying out the shipments, the planning estimates contained in the report could differ (ibid.). The number of years DOE estimated that it would take to remove SNF from a single site ranged from 6.2 years to 11.2 years. The cumulative duration to remove waste from nine shutdown sites was estimated to be between 11.5 and 14.5 years. The factors with the greatest influence on the estimated time durations were the time required to load and transport the waste, the time needed to
In addition to the 14 sites covered in DOE’s 2017 shutdown sites report, analyses have also been completed for Oyster Creek and Pilgrim. Those analyses will be included in a forthcoming update to the new report evaluating nuclear power plant sites (Morris Operation Virtual Site Visit). As of August 2020, therefore, 16 site visits have been completed, one was initiated virtually, and DOE had articulated the plans to eventually visit all the nation’s nuclear power plants, including those that are still in operation. In 2020, DOE conducted its first virtual site visit due to social distancing and travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. An in-person site visit to both the Dresden Generating Station and the General Electric Hitachi Morris Operation storage site in Grundy County, Illinois, had been scheduled for the first half of 2020. With the help of CSG Midwest, DOE carried out a virtual site visit of the Morris Operation site on June 24, 2020. Conducted through the GoToWebinar platform, the visit attracted more than 30 participants. Over the course of five hours, attendees heard a history of the site, an overview of DOE’s IWM Office, and presentations on potential capabilities for rail and barge shipments from the site. During the virtual site visit, rail was discussed as a viable shipping option from the Morris Operation provided adequate funds were dedicated to refurbishing the rail spur (MRMTC 2020b). The process of evaluating the shutdown sites consisted of four distinct components for each site. Through the site visits and related research, DOE-NE sought to: • Characterize the inventory of SNF and GTCC low-level radioactive waste at each site. • Develop a description of the on-site infrastructure related to carrying out future transportation activities.
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