Search for place to store the nation’s radioactive waste gains $16 million. Connecticut has two sites with spent nuclear fuel.

Stephen Singer, Hartford Courant
·2 min read

The U.S. Department of Energy has made an additional $16 million available in its search for a nuclear fuel storage site.

The congressional district of U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2, has the distinction of being home to two nuclear power sites: the decommissioned Connecticut Yankee plant on Haddam Neck, a peninsula jutting into the lower Connecticut River, and Millstone Power Station in Waterford.

Federal officials have approved $40 million for the process involving states and local jurisdictions to search collaboratively for a site to store spent nuclear rods.

Courtney on Wednesday repeated his call to remove spent nuclear fuel from eastern Connecticut towns such as Waterford and Haddam. Millstone’s proximity to Long Island Sound and a possible storm surge make it unsuitable for nuclear storage.

Nuclear power will be an important part of energy plans that seek a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, Courtney said. But spent fuel from nuclear reactors was never intended to be stored in eastern Connecticut for the long-term, he said.

“If we want to seriously ramp-up nuclear energy production to help lower costs across the board, we need to get going on finding new locations for this spent fuel,” Courtney said.

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said during a visit May 20 to Millstone that 200 communities nationwide have responded to requests for information about storing radioactive waste. Federal officials must still find localities to volunteer to take on spent nuclear rods.

The Department of Energy plans to pay for as many as eight projects over 18 months to two years, Courtney said. Recipients of federal money will advance “mutual learning” in a community, provide ease of access to information and foster discussions, he said.

The designation of Yucca Mountain in Nevada as permanent repository for spent nuclear fuel has stalled, Courtney said.

Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.