http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wabe/local-wabe-971678.mp3
Atlanta, GA – Nearly 80 percent of Georgia’s spent nuclear fuel is stored in pools, according to a report by a Washington think tank. Some say pools are not the safest method to store the fuel.
At Georgia’s two nuclear plants, Plant Vogtle and Plant Hatch, spent nuclear fuel is collected in four pools. Amanda Hill-Attkisson with Georgia Women’s Action for New Directions says there are very real safety hazards in storing spent fuel in those pools.
“It’s basically an open environment, and you have highly contaminated liquid waste. And liquid waste is always much, much harder to contain.”
The nuclear crisis in Japan is partly due to an inability to cool nuclear waste collected in a pool.
Alyson Fuqua with Southern Nuclear says Georgia’s nuclear plants are inland, and are not susceptible to an earthquake or tsunami, as in Japan.
She says the pools in Georgia’s plants are resistant to other natural disasters.
“They are built to extremely stringent tornado standards, and they would be able to withstand a tornado of the greatest capacity that has ever hit that region within the last 100 years.”
Plant Hatch also stores its nuclear fuel in dry cask storage, which environmental advocates say is a safer storage method.
Southern Nuclear says there are plans underway to build the same storage facilities at Plant Vogtle.
9(MDAxODM0MDY4MDEyMTY4NDA3MzI3YjkzMw004))
