The Case for Transportation of High Burnup Fuel

Decades of research have been performed examining transportation of high burnup fuel (> 45 GWD.MTU). This research has concluded that when taking a risk informed approach, there is no issue with the transportation of high burnup fuel. This holistic approach has not been fully adopted by some regulatory organizations; in the US, for example, transportation of high burnup fuel is to be handled on a case by case basis (ISG-11 Rev. 3). With two independent consolidated interim storage licenses under review in the US, as well as activities in other countries for interim storage, industry needs to be ready for regular shipments of high burnup fuel in large scale casks within the next several years. To ensure these shipments occur in an efficient manner, it is time to resolve once and for all the case for transportation of high burnup fuel. This paper will highlight the gaps between the research conclusions of extremely low risk, and the current regulatory approach. It is hoped the highlighting these gaps will facilitate action for a more efficient process in addressing transportation of high burnup fuel to support the upcoming anticipated need.