The risk of a zirconium fire in spent fuel pools at decommissioned plant sites due to overheating of the spent fuel is very low, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff concluded in a report. However, if a fire occurred, it could have “serious radiological effects”, the report said.
The NRC, which asked for public comment on the report and scheduled a public hearing on 20 February, said there is no immediate safety concern; hence, there is no need for immediate regulatory action. This is because of the low likelihood of a fuel uncovery event that could result in a zirconium fire and a potentially significant off-site radiological release.
Rather, the NRC intends to use the report in proposing a rule for improving its regulations for permanently shutdown power plants. “One objective is to reduce the need to process exemption requests in areas such as insurance, security and emergency preparedness,” the NRC said.
