Energy Secretary Announces Yucca Mountain Licence Application
Written by NucNet
Tuesday, 03 June 2008
NucNet News No. 40
3 Jun (NucNet): The long-awaited application to construct the Yucca
Mountain repository in Nevada has been submitted to nuclear regulators,
energy secretary Samuel Bodman announced today.
Speaking in Washington DC, Mr Bodman said the application "will further encourage the expansion of nuclear power in the United States, which is absolutely critical to our energy security, environmental goals, and national security".
The application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) seeks authorisation to build the country's first repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.
The 8,600 page application describes the Department of Energy's (DOE) plan to safely isolate spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste in tunnels deep underground at Yucca Mountain, a remote ridge on federally-controlled land in the Mojave Desert, about 145 kilometres north-west of Las Vegas. The waste is currently stored at 121 temporary locations in 39 US states.
"This licence application is the culmination of more than two decades of expert scientific research and engineering, and represents a major milestone for the Department," Mr Bodman said. "We are confident that the NRC's rigorous review process will confirm that the Yucca Mountain repository will provide for the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste and will be protective of human health and the environment now and into the future."
The DOE began studying Yucca Mountain in 1978 to determine whether it would be a suitable repository site. The project has faced a number of uncertainties that stalled it. However, the DOE said today's submission began the start of a new phase of the project.
The NRC will conduct an initial review to determine whether to accept the application for formal review. The licensing process is scheduled to be conducted over a three-year period.
Details of the application and the Yucca Mountain project are on the web site of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (www.ocrwm.doe.gov).
Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
US DOE Announces Plans For 'Simpler, Safer' Yucca Mountain (News No. 164, 26 October 2005)
Regulator Says Yucca Mountain Licensing Faces 'Inadequate Funding' (News in Brief No. 20, 26 February 2008)
DOE Expects To File Yucca Application In June (News in Brief No. 31, 17 March 2008)
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