Following a competitive bid process, TN Americas, a subsidiary of Orano USA, was selected by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to offload and transfer all used nuclear fuel and Greater than Class C (GTCC) waste into interim onsite dry storage at Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) after nuclear operations cease in August 2025.
Article continues below
Orano’s scope includes engineering and licensing to implement Orano’s Extended Optimized Storage (EOS) NUHOMS system at DCPP, design of a new GTCC dry storage facility, fabrication of storage canisters at Orano’s manufacturing facility (TNF) in North Carolina, construction and installation of concrete storage modules, and conducting the pool-to-pad transfer operations for both the used fuel and GTCC waste.
Using Orano’s EOS NUHOMS dry storage system with its advanced capabilities and horizontal orientation, the offload of used nuclear fuel from both DCPP units is scheduled to be completed in approximately two years after the reactor shutdowns.
Implementing Orano’s dry storage system at DCPP does not require any major modifications to the existing storage pad or transfer path, and the technology will meet the site’s geologic and environmental conditions.
By transferring the used fuel pool inventory from wet to dry storage, DCPP can begin reducing significant costs associated with managing used fuel in wet storage.
The pool offload transfer process at Diablo Canyon will benefit from Orano’s ongoing experience at other reactor sites, including at a boiling water reactor (BWR) site where Orano is on track to complete a pool offload campaign in April 2022, making it the industry’s most efficient BWR pool offload campaign.
The projected schedule at Diablo Canyon would also establish a new pool offload benchmark for the industry. ■
Under an intense surge of arctic air, Friday morning will begin with the coldest temperatures so far this season across much of the central and eastern U.S. with blustery conditions and a piercing wind chill.