The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) granted a license for Areva's NUHOMS MP197HB Transport Package, which allows for the safe transport of high burnup used nuclear fuel.
The MP197HB meets the rigorous NRC requirements to safely transport spent nuclear fuel.
Areva said that the transport package has the highest heat-load capacity in the industry of up to 32-kW.
It is also the first universal package that is licensed for nine different canister types from various suppliers currently in use at utility sites.
The package was approved for use by rail, truck or marine and will be available as early as 2015.
Areva TN Americas senior vice president Mike McMahon said, "Our MP197HB offers utilities the flexibility to transport used fuel from one site to another, which may be needed as part of decommissioning and interim storage or long-term used fuel management.
"We are proud to have engineered this safe, innovative transport solution to provide the U.S. nuclear power industry with options to manage used nuclear fuel and to meet future challenges."
Image: Areva secures NRC license for spent nuclear fuel transport package. Photo: courtesy of Areva.