LEA COUNTY, NEW MEXICO (LOOTPRESS) – Holtec International announced in a media release this week that the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued the final necessary license to build and operate the HI-STORE Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF) in southeastern New Mexico.
First of it’s Kind
The approval is notable in that this will be the world’s first CISF to use a below-ground storage system which, in this case, called the HI-STORM UMAX. Per company representative, Caitlin Marmion:
The HI-STORE facility is the first in the world to deploy a below-ground storage system for consolidated interim storage although several U.S. plants (notably Callaway and SONGS) have been using this technology accruing great benefits in terms of dramatically reduced radiation dose, ultimate protection from incident hazards (such as a crashing aircraft or airborne missiles) and its negligible environmental impact. The subterranean HI-STORM UMAX storage system is so environmentally unobtrusive that all industrial activities such as fracking, drilling, and potash mining in the area can continue without obstruction and, as stated in the final environmental impact study, construction of the proposed CISF would not have an effect on oil and gas operations regardless of drilling method.
Spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive waste will be stored on a temporary basis. The material will be welded into stainless steel containers. Holtec contends that this is an environmental and economic win for southeastern New Mexico.
“(The communities) have welcomed us to bring our technologies to create environmentally benign and well-paying jobs, and help diversify the region’s economy thus fostering a stable industrial base,” says Holtec’s President and CEO, Dr. Kris Singh.
Location
The facility is set to be located in a sparsely populated stretch of desert near the border of Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico. The site, while within the Permian Basin region, is just north of the Delaware Basin, thereby allowing for storage within the basin’s deep sedimentary rocks without interfering with oil production or disruption to popular protected areas, including Carlsbad Caverns National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Forest.
Program Director for the HI-STORE CISF, Ed Mayer, drove home the point that the collaboration with eager & excited local officials was absolutely critical to the successful application process with the NRC, stating, “Thanks to the local support, we have persevered for the past eight years to license HI-STORE in spite of variable enthusiasm from the State’s authorities. The project has the ability to allow Southeast New Mexico to diversify its economy, generate some 400 jobs, infusing ~$3 billion investment in the area. Holtec and ELEA are proud to have worked together to eliminate the most formidable barrier to the renaissance of nuclear energy that our country faces today.”
Flexibility
Storage of nuclear waste has been a concern and hinderance to nuclear power applications for nearly a century, but options like this could relieve the burden on existing nuclear plants, many of which are nearing end-of-life. It may also help facilitate the creation of new nuclear power facilities, especially as smaller, pod-based nuclear reactors become increasingly common and cost-effective.
Energy policy makers will also see enhanced flexibility with new storage options. Several of the best sites for long-term nuclear storage have become NIMBY (“not in my back yard”) hot-buttons and political footballs. While those issues play out over the coming years, the expanding HI-STORE site can bridge the storage gap.
Holtec praised the open-mindedness of NRC regulators, with Holtec Director of Licensing Kim Manzione stating, “Our heartfelt thanks go out to the dedicated NRC staff whose diligent and critical reviews of the license application and detailed interactions with our licensing team has resulted in a solid body of work that undergirds the regulatory basis for the license configured to safeguard public health and safety in full measure.”
For more information on this project, visit http://www.historecisf.com.