Oyster Creek Won't Become Repository For Other States: Officials

LACEY, NJ — As Holtec International applies to expand its spent-fuel storage area at the site of the shuttered Oyster Creek Generating Station, the public has speculated that the decommissioning company intends to make the location a storage site for other closed plants. A member of the Lacey Planning Board said this isn't true.

"There’s been a lot of rumors going around that we’re going to be a repository for other municipalities and states," Councilman Mark Dykoff, a member of the Planning Board, said at last week's Township Committee meeting. "Nothing is farther from the truth."

Holtec International, which is decommissioning the Oyster Creek, was set to present to the Planning Board on Aug. 10 a proposal to expand its spent-fuel storage area.

The proposal attracted public interest — so much so that state coronavirus restrictions prevented the Municipal Building from fitting everyone who wanted to hear or speak about the issue. Read more: Lacey Postpones Oyster Creek Nuclear Waste Hearing To Fit Crowd

The Planning Board will hold a special meeting on the matter at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Gille Park Pavilion to accommodate the expected large crowd.

Oyster Creek already contains steel and concrete casks of nuclear waste — each containing spent nuclear fuel rods that have powered the plant since it began operating in 1969. Spent fuel rods can take years to cool off in the plant's spent fuel cooling pool.

The last of the fuel rods must be moved to storage casks and placed alongside Oyster Creek's spent-fuel casks to empty the pool and finish dismantling the facility.

Oyster Creek's storage area contains about 48 prefabricated storage modules for spent fuel rods — were approved in 1994, and 28 were granted in 2010. Ownership is seeking to construct 64 additional modules within the site, according to documents Patch obtained.

"Basically what they need to do is put additional concrete and steel casks on the pads so they can move those rods from that tower into those casks," Dykoff said.

Holtec would need a special federal or state license called am Interim Storage Facility Permit to store spent fuel from other cities and states, Dykoff said. The company is currently applying for one in New Mexico.

"We’re doing our due diligence to make sure that anything that’s built is safe and that Holtec follows all the policies, procedures and rules and regulations as they pertain to land use and NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) safety.

During the decommissioning process, Lacey officials have called for greater transparency from Holtec. Lacey will now have representation on the state-led Safety Advisory Panel on the decommissioning of Oyster Creek. Mayor Steven Kennis was appointed to the panel that evaluates environmental, utility and security issues.

"I’m pleased to see the addition of Mayor Kennis to the Oyster Creek Safety Advisory Panel,” Congressman Andy Kim said in a statement. “I strongly advocated for Mayor Kennis’ appointment because I believe we need strong local voices at the table and Mayor Kennis will work to ensure the people of Lacey Township are heard."

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