March 14, 2006
Safety First
By Gwenne Lally

When Killingworth First Selectman Marty Klein received a visit from Paul Passarelli, the region's coordinator for Emergency Management and Homeland Security, he shared his concerns about safety and security at the Connecticut Yankee nuclear power plant in Haddam Neck. The plant was permanently shut down in 1996 and is now being decommissioned.

Decommissioning is a step-by-step, methodical deconstruction process that takes several years to complete. It involves removing and disposing of, at licensed facilities, all radioactive materials such as piping, tanks, valves, pumps and components. It also involves reducing radioactivity and hazardous materials that may remain in the buildings and on the site after everything is removed. The purpose of decommissioning is to reduce the amount of the plant related radioactivity on the site to a level that allows the site to be released for future use. The major benefit of decommissioning will be the restoration of the site for other purposes.

The process is expected to be completed this year, but one thing will remain: spent nuclear fuel. Although the U.S. Department of Energy is legally responsible for its removal, opposition to the planned long-term storage facility at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, leaves the fuel here for the indefinite future.

Marty Klein's concerns about the continuing presence of that fuel prompted a visit to Connecticut Yankee by Klein, myself, and other officials representing Killingworth, Chester, East Haddam, East Hampton, Middletown and Portland. Bob Mitchell, Connecticut Yankee's Fuel Storage Manager and Unit Manager, explained that the fuel has been moved from a wet fuel pool to a new, dry cask system.

The system consists of 43 vertical storage casks positioned on a reinforced concrete storage pad. Each cask consists of a 5/8” thick stainless steel storage canister surrounded by a 21” thick concrete shell and capped by a welded, shielded plug and concrete lid. At 125.9 tons fully loaded, 128” in diameter and 16' tall, the casks can withstand extreme conditions of flooding, fire, explosion, earthquake, and tornado – as well as direct impact from a 747 aircraft. Their design enables them to contain radiation while permitting heat to escape.

Located a distance from the reactor site, the storage area features extensive security measures, Mitchell told the group. These include fencing, electronic surveillance, armed guards, concrete barriers and a vehicle barrier system that can stop a fully loaded dump truck at 40 mph.

Mitchell emphasized that nobody wants the fuel to remain where it is. However, until the federal government fulfills its obligation to remove it, he assured the group that its safety – and the safety of local residents – will always come first.

While the overall experience was informative, Mr. Klein expressed concerns that reflect the uncertain nature of today's world. He would like to see an upgrading of security measures to better guarantee the safety of the surrounding towns.

(Gwenne Lally is a member of the Killingworth Board of Finance and the Field Study Committee. She is also Recording Secretary for the KDTC)

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