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STEPHEN BECKERLE
NUCLEAR POWER - WHAT AM I MISSING?
Producing electricity using nuclear power is irresponsible. The bi-product is tons, (to date +55,000 tons, +2000 tons per year), of highly toxic radioactive spent fuel rods.
These spent fuel rods emit lethal radiation for hundreds of thousands of years. There is NOT and NEVER will be a permanent solution to safely store this waste.
We can talk about very expensive temporary storage solutions but there can never be a permanent storage solution that will last hundreds of thousands of years. This is an intractable problem. Nothing that we can develop can last this long.
NUCLEAR POWER - SPENT FUEL - ONSITE STORAGE PROBLEMS
The NRC must address the vulnerability of spent fuel storage at all U.S. nuclear power plants now. Spent fuel pools contain more highly radioactive fuel than the reactor cores. And the spent fuel pools at all U.S. nuclear plants are located outside the reactor containment structure. When the spent fuel pools fill up, spent fuel is stored in concrete casks outside the plant. Thus, spent fuel is a softer target that could yield graver consequences than an aircraft crashing through the reactor containment structure.
What is the spent fuel pool?
The spent fuel pool is a 45-feet deep concrete pit that stores highly radioactive fuel assemblies after their removal from the reactor core. Water storage is required because spent fuel assemblies continue to emit considerable amounts of both heat and radiation for many years. The fuel pool water is continuously cooled to remove the heat produced by the spent fuel assemblies. Without cooling, the fuel pool water will heat up and boil. If the water boils or drains away, the spent fuel assemblies will overheat and either melt or catch on fire. NRC studies have estimated that many thousands of people living within 50 miles could die from the radiation released when spent fuel assemblies melt or catch on fire.
Where are the spent fuel pools located?
The spent fuel pools at nuclear power plants with pressurized water reactors are located in buildings adjacent to the reactor containment structures. Typically called the Fuel Handling Buildings, these structures are designed to withstand nature (e.g. earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and snow storms) but not man (e.g., sabotage and accidental or intentional aircraft strikes). The Fuel Handling Buildings are basically standard, industrial-grade buildings (much like K-Mart but without the neon signs).
