AIEA

An International Symposium on Storage of Spent Fuel from Power Reactors, was held in Vienna from 9-13 November 1998. The Symposium was organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency in co-operation with the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. Over one hundred twenty five participants from 35 countries and 4 international organisations attended the Symposium. The country participants represented utilities, industry, licensing authorities, national research organisations and consulting engineers.

The meeting gave an opportunity to exchange information on the state-of-the-art and prospects of spent fuel storage, to discuss the world-wide situation and the major factors influencing the national policies in this field and to identify the most important directions that national efforts and international co-operation in this area should take.

It is noted that there continues to be worldwide growth in the generation of electricity power using nuclear energy as its source. It is further noted that the rate of growth of nuclear energy generation has essentially levelled off in Europe and North America while it has increased significantly in Asia. Although these trends have some impact on spent fuel management, including storage, the world-wide spent fuel production rate continues at about 10,800 t HM/yr.

There are three major categories for classifying spent fuel management policies and practices. These include a closed-fuel cycle which involves reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, a once-through fuel cycle which ends with the disposal of the spent nuclear fuel, and a “wait and see” approach. One can view the decision to either reprocess or dispose as two ends of a spectrum of options. It should be noted, however, that countries which originally choose the reprocessing option envisage the final disposal of high burnup and MOX spent fuel. The “wait and see” strategy should not be viewed as avoiding a decision, but as a means of evaluating the possible options and maintaining the retrievability of the spent fuel. Some countries reported on considerable progress in the final conditioning of spent fuel for disposal in geological formations.

Dominant messages at the Symposium were that the primary spent fuel management solution for the next decades will be interim storage, the duration time of interim storage will become longer than earlier anticipated and the storage facilities will have to be designed for receiving spent fuel from advanced fuel cycle practices (i.e. high burnup and MOX spent fuel).

It was noted that the handling and storage of spent fuel is a mature technology and meets the stringent safety requirements applicable in the different countries. However, it is performed in a flexible and dynamic way, continuously adapting to changes in nuclear policy and progress in technology. Changes affect, for example, the transportability of spent fuel, application of burnup credit and utilization of advanced fuel types.

Wet storage remains dominant, even as the use of dry storage concepts increase. Wet storage is essential for cooling newly-discharged fuel, and will continue to be the method of storage used in connection with reprocessing. The industry has an extensive experience base in wet storage with an excellent performance record. Dry storage is being used increasingly, as more and more long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel is done. Dry storage may prove to be a cost-effective activity and can easily accommodate multipurpose systems (e.g., storage/transport, storage/transport/disposal).

Agency initiatives that were mentioned included:

• To assist Central and East European Countries with problems related to the storage of spent fuel and establishing adequate spent fuel storage facilities;
• To continue the exchange of information, data and experience (from licensing to operation) on spent fuel storage technologies and public acceptance matters; and,
• To organise peer reviews in the subject of spent fuel storage and management upon request of Member States.
• To continue discussions on regional spent fuel storage for which countries with small nuclear programmes demonstrated interest.

The current policies and attitudes across the world have made extended interim storage a real necessity in the nuclear power business. This is being addressed adequately by utilities, industry and licensing authorities alike, so that storage of spent fuel will continue to be safely managed.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) welcomes the decision by Iraq to resume full co-operation with the IAEA and UN Special Commission.

The IAEA personnel, who were temporarily relocated to Bahrain on 11 November for safety concerns, are scheduled to return to Baghdad on Tuesday, 17 November. This group will immediately commence an intensive programme of facility inspections in order to re-establish continuity of knowledge of the status of Iraq’s relevant technical assets. Additional IAEA personnel are planned to arrive in Baghdad later this week to participate in these initial activities and to continue with previously planned work, with the aim of full implementation of the IAEA’s mandate in Iraq, including its right to full and free access.

The Director General hopes to be able to report to the UN Security Council in the near future that all the necessary IAEA activities are being carried out with the full co-operation of the Iraqi authorities.

From iaea.org

This message was quoted from Corey Greaves’ message

What’s happening?

As we are ready to close out another year at McKinley, our first year on staff, and another chapter closed in this open book we call life, I am looking back and reflecting on the year 1998. We have seen so many blessings, such awesome ways in which our awesome God has worked. As this year closes we are looking at about seven commitments/baptisms that have happened. Numerically, we have not grown in leaps and bounds, but spiritually we have seen infants grow to maturity in one year. Someone asked me once how teen group was doing. I responded with a very simple ‘fine’. “Well, are you growing?,” they asked. “Oh yes, we are learning so much.” “Oh, but are you growing?” And I began to see what they were getting at. They wanted to hear about the numbers. But I patiently explained that it wasn’t the numbers that I was concerned with. Not that I don’t want to reach the masses, but that the masses are not the goal in and of themselves. To grow in faith, to give hope, to share love with those that I do come in contact with is my goal. And it is this faith, it is this hope, it is this love that we are experiencing. And for this I give praise to God.

The month of December will not leave me twiddling my thumbs wondering what to do (not that I ever have the opportunity to experience the time to twiddle). We have many activities that are unfolding before us. We continue on with our daily activities such as Men’s Bible Study on Monday nights, Women’s Bible Study on Tuesday nights, Youth Group on Wednesday, Ladies Day on Thursday, and so forth. I have (albeit ever so reluctantly), taken on the responsibility as Director of the Christmas program. I did not know what I was getting myself into, though I did have an idea (thus the reluctance). But I don’t believe that I would trade this experience for anything. I am stretching my gifts (and patience) beyond what they have been stretched before (as anyone of you who have ever worked with kids and Christmas programs would know). But I truly thank the Lord for the opportunity.

Our Christmas program will be on the 20^th of December at 6 p.m. We have many practice sessions before hand, and have already started. Between now and then we have a sledding party on the 19^th that will take place in the mountains of White Pass.

The McKinley Church of Christ will be Christmas Caroling on the 23^rd, and will be handing out fruit baskets at different elders houses. Our Watch Night Party (which is the equivalent to a New Years Party) will, of course, be on the 31^st .

My sister in Dallas, TX. has called and said she wanted to pay my way to come and visit them for a few days after Christmas. My mother will be there coming in from Florida. I do not get the opportunity to see her that often so I thought that it would be a good idea to go and visit. And as if all these things will not keep me busy enough I have to, somewhere, fit in the time to take the Youth Group to go and see Prince Of Egypt. I had better keep my promise to them or they’ll let me have ‘what for’. We covet your prayers as the activities unfold before us. I would also like to say ‘thank-you’ for your upmost patience with me.

My goal is to have a newsletter to all churches/individuals who support the work we do here on a quarterly basis. My humblest apologies for not doing so. After talking with a dear brother in the Lord I was stirred in my being to do my utmost to get this newsletter to you every three months. I desire to let you know what we are doing, as I desire for you to want to know what we’re doing, and “What Is Happening At McKinley.” And so I renew my committment to you as I say that the next Salmon Says will be out in the month of March. Between now and then may I say that your committment to us means more than my feeble attempt at words could describe. You are the ‘life-line’ to those to whom Janelle and I share compassion. Through that compassion we experience joy (as we cannot experience real joy apart from real compassion). And I hope that your joy is complete knowing that you are making a difference in the lives of people on the Yakama Indian Reservation. Peace of Christ to you!

Men’s bible study, Sensitive Warriors, on Monday nights will have 9-12 in attendance with the Tuesdays Women’s Bible study, From Eve to You, having 9-15 in attendance. Praise the Lord!

The Food Bank has been used a lot this summer and is very low stocked.

The clothing room is still active with Dorothy Nichol’s in charge.

Also, September 5-13 was the Second Gathering of Indigenous Peoples in Rapid City, South Dakota. from around the world for a time of Cultural Awareness in Worship. We had the opportunity to visit the gathering on our way to Illinois and Indiana. It was an uplifting experience, although we were unable to spend much time there.

In His Majesty’s Service,

Corey Greaves