1. DIABLO CANYON SPENT FUEL STORAGE: SELECTED ISSUES
CEC 2015 Joint Commissioner Workshop
April 27, 2015
Peter Lam, Ph.D.
Administrative Judge Emeritus

2. DIABLO CANYON SPENT FUEL STORAGE: SELECTED ISSUES
Still Waiting for Federal Central Depository
NRC Waste Confidence Rule
Safety of Spent Fuel Pool
Safety of Dry Cask Storage
CEC IEPR Recommendations
Independent Safety Committee Inquiries

3. NRC WASTE CONFIDENCE RULE
1979 Ruling from U. S. Court of Appeals for the D. C. Circuit
1984 Waste Confidence Rule Codified in 10 CFR 51.23
Rule Updated 1990, and 2010
2012 D. C. Circuit Court Decision
Elaborate Plan for Additional Actions

4. SAFETY OF SPENT FUEL POOL
Lack of Containment
Very Large Fission Products Inventory
Active Cooling
High Density Rack Configuration
Zr-Cladding Fire Scenarios
Large Water Inventory

5. SAFETY OF DRY CASK STORAGE
NRC Certified Dry Casks
Relatively Small Fission Products Inventory
Relatively Robust Structures
Passive Cooling
Location in an Open Environment

6. CEC IEPR RECOMMENDATIONS
2008 IEPR Recommended that PG&E “Return the Spent Fuel Pools to Open Racking Arrangements as Soon as Feasible”
2011 IEPR Stated “An Option---Is to Expedite the Transfer of the Older Spent Fuel from Pools into Dry Storage Casks”

7. INDEPENDENT SAFETY COMMITTEE INQUIRIES
Numerous On-Site Fact Finding Meetings on High Density and Open Racking Arrangements; on Expediting Spent Fuel Transfer into Dry Casks: and Other Pool Safety Issues
Many PG&E Presentations at Committee’s Public Meetings
Formal Committee Recommendations in the 21st and 23rd Annual Reports

8. EXPEDITIZING DRY CASK STORAGE: POLICY & TECHNICAL CONSTRAINTS
Federal Rule on Spent Fuel Configuration
Waiting Time in the Pool Before Transfer
Thermal Limits of The Dry Cask
Pad Construction Schedule
Cask Availability
Plant Staff Availability