Federal Regulators, APS Resolve Apparent Nuclear Waste Violations At Palo Verde

By Jill Ryan
The Associated Press
Published: Thursday, November 19, 2020 - 8:16am
Updated: Thursday, November 19, 2020 - 5:49pm

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APS Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station
APS
The Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station near Tonopah, Arizona.

Federal regulators say they and the operator of an Arizona nuclear power plant have resolved previously reported apparent violations involving safe handling and storage of spent nuclear fuel, which is high-level radioactive waste.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Wednesday that an order resolving the apparent violations involving the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station requires Arizona Public Service Co. to take several steps that the agency and the company agreed upon.

The three-reactor plant is located about 50 miles west of downtown Phoenix.

The apparent violations resulting from an NRC inspection involved the company's failure to adequately analyze the consequences of a hypothetical tip-over of a cask for storing spent nuclear fuel or to properly evaluate a change to the cask storage system, the agency said in a statement.

The resolution was achieved through APS' requested use of an alternative dispute resolution process, the NRC said.

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