Nuclear Plants May Be Vulnerable

Panel Cites Danger Of Attack On Fuel Storage Pools At Reactors

(AP) 
The report said that the NRC should consider getting industry to move more of its spent fuel rods from pool storage to dry casks that are considered less vulnerable to a terrorist attack. But it stopped short of recommending such action.

The panel acknowledged that cask storage is more expensive and that, in any case, significant amounts of spent fuel always will have to be kept in pools for up to five years to allow the fuel rods to adequately cool. About a fourth of the country's commercial power plants, with 103 reactors, have begun storing some of their spent fuel in dry casks as pool storage space has filled to capacity.

The nuclear industry maintains the pool storage is safe and protective.

The NAS panel said the likelihood of terrorists stealing spent fuel rods to make a radioactive bomb "is small" but that the NRC, nevertheless, should review and upgrade its security requirements for protecting spent-fuel pools.

While acknowledging that the NRC has made improvements in nuclear power plant security since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the report said "an assessment of current measures should be performed by an independent organization" outside of the NRC.