Used Fuel Storage
TMI Unit 1 uses spent fuel pools to store its used fuel. TMI stores used fuel under at least 20 feet of water, which provides adequate shielding from radiation for anyone near the pool. Water is a strong shield from radiation. The fuel rods are moved into the water from the reactor along the bottom of water canals, so that the used fuel is always shielded to protect workers. The movement of the fuel rods occurs during refueling outages, which take place every two years at TMI Unit 1. After the used fuel is removed from the reactor, it is replaced with new fuel for the next operating cycle.
Three Mile Island has ample space to safely store used fuel. TMI's used fuel storage facility was initially designed larger than most other nuclear plant's storage facilities. TMI will add 432 additional storage cells to its existing used fuel storage facility in 2009, bringing the total storage space to about 2000 used fuel assemblies. With the additional storage cells, TMI will have enough space in its existing used fuel storage facility to last until 2024, when we expect the U.S. Department of Energy to have a national storage facility in operation.
The national storage facility is Yucca Mountain, a facility in Nevada that the Department of Energy plans to store the used fuel from U.S. nuclear facilities. Yucca Mountain would house used fuel from the nation's nuclear plants. More information about Yucca Mountain can be found by visiting the
Nuclear Energy Institute.