Safe, Secure, Temporary, Retrievable
As the world leader in used fuel storage and transportation solutions for the nuclear power industry, Holtec International is using its decades of experience and expertise to design, license, construct and operate the first ever subterranean used fuel storage facility for the US nuclear plants. Holtec’s HI-STORE CISF (Consolidated Interim Storage Facility) will safely and securely store used nuclear fuel and high-level waste from around the country in a below-the-ground impregnable facility based on proven technology.
What is HI-STORE CISF?
Holtec International and its partner, the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance (ELEA), have launched the licensing of an autonomous consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) in Southeastern New Mexico on land owned by ELEA. The facility, named HI-STORE CISF, will provide a significant step on the path to the Federal Government’s long standing obligation for disposition of used nuclear fuel by providing a safe, secure, temporary, retrievable, and centralized facility for storage of used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste until such time that a permanent solution is available.
Why New Mexico?
Southeastern New Mexico is the ideal location for Holtec’s HI-STORE Consolidated Interim Storage Facility (CISF). The HI-STORE CISF will be located on a small and isolated portion of a thousand acres of undeveloped ELEA land that is geologically stable, with a dry and arid climate that is ideal for the underground dry fuel storage system. The project will create jobs for local workers, boosting local incomes that will lead to an improvement in the local infrastructure. Furthermore, the New Mexico populace is highly-educated in the nuclear industry, with a proven and safe history of shaping America’s nuclear energy development.
Transportation
Used nuclear fuel will arrive at the HI-STORE CISF by rail in robust and safe transport casks using specialty-designed railcars. Three transportation casks designed by Holtec International and licensed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissioning (NRC), HI-STAR 190, HI-STAR 100 and HI-STAR 100MB (HI-STAR is an acronym for Holtec International Storage Transportation and Repository) could be used to move used nuclear fuel from the reactor sites to the HI-STORE CISF. The HI-STORE CISF will provide the ability to readily extract the used fuel canisters and ship them to a permanent repository as soon as it is available.
Safety and Security Features
Minimizes radiation dose to the environment
Canisters can be removed safely and easily
Immune to hurricanes, floods, tornados and earthquakes
No adverse effect on wildlife nor on groundwater
Visually inconspicuous design for utmost security
No radiological consequences in the event of fire
Engineered to maximize safety for workers
Designed to withstand impact from a crashing aircraft
Our Pledge to the Communities That We Serve
Holtec’s commitment to the communities that it serves is to hold personnel safety and stewardship of the environment as the principle tenants in the design, manufacturing and deployment of all equipment that it supplies and especially with the storage and transportation of used nuclear fuel.
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