We are pleased to announce the license application for securing the general certification of the HI-STORM UMAX, multi-purpose canister based storage system, was submitted to the USNRC last Friday, June 29, 2012. Engineered to store used fuel canisters in a below-grade configuration, HI-STORM UMAX is anatomically similar to the previously licensed HI-STORM 100U system, the development of which was prompted by the beyond-the-design-basis-threats in the wake of 9/11. HI-STORM UMAX is a larger version of HI-STORM 100U, with enhanced air circulation features and an increased cavity diameter to permit storage of any canister thus far in use at any site in the US.
Ideally suited to serve as the single universal design for storing the nation’s used fuel at consolidated interim storage facilities envisioned by the Blue Ribbon Commission, HI-STORM UMAX’s underground disposition will also appeal to public interest groups focused on the safety and security of the environment near the interim storage site, which would presumably hold vast quantities of used nuclear fuel.
The current licensing application for HI-STORM UMAX limits the authorized canisters to the MPC-37 (PWR) and the MPC-89 (BWR). (Both canister models were previously certified in the HI-STORM FW system, USNRC Docket 72-1032). Future license amendment requests to the HI-STORM UMAX CoC will seek to expand the authorized list of canisters to all Holtec MPCs, with further expansion as appropriate.
As HI-STORM UMAX utilizes a previously licensed design embodiment and the licensing application utilizes computer codes and analysis models previously accepted by the USNRC in the HI-STORM FW storage system (Docket Number 72-1032) and HI-STORM 100U (Docket Number 72-1014), we are hopeful that the NRC will complete the safety evaluation in six (6) months, beating its prior record of efficient licensing duration (10 months from initial submittal to SER in certifying HI-STORM FW system).
Commenting on the benefits of the HI-STORM UMAX system, Holtec’s Director of Corporate Business Development, Joy Russell, stated, “Licensing of HI-STORM UMAX will provide DOE with a single system to store all of the nation’s used fuel in a below-grade, monitored, retrievable, interim storage facility that emits virtually zero dose to plant personnel and the environment, and provides maximum protection against terrorism and natural disasters. We are pleased to offer this state-of-the-art technology to the nuclear industry to address 21st century challenges.”