Waste Control Specialists, Orano USA To Join Forces

Orano USA and Waste Control Specialists, leaders in nuclear materials management, said they intended to form a joint venture to license a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for used nuclear fuel at the WCS site in Andrews County, Texas.

OranoWaste Control Specialists had been pursuing the interim storage project, but now has support from Orano USA, a division of Orano, which is the new name for New Areva. Currently, Waste Control Specialists is the only privately held facility licensed to treat, store and dispose of Class A, B, and C low-level nuclear waste.

The joint venture will request that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission resume its review of the CISF license application originally submitted April 2016 and docketed by the NRC for review in January 2017.WCS

The joint venture is intended to provide "safety, flexibility and value for used nuclear fuel titleholders," said Orano USA Chief Executive Officer Sam Shakir. The CEO also noted it would "reduce U.S. taxpayer liabilities" for ongoing storage, while plans for a permanent federal repository continue.

While some in Washington D.C. are asking the Trump administration to revisit the Yucca Mountain application process, actual licensing appears to be years away, giving rise to the need for an interim facility.

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