Spent Research Reactor Fuel Removed from UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- University at Buffalo officials announced today that the spent nuclear reactor fuel has been removed from the University at Buffalo's research reactor on UB's South (Main Street) Campus.

The spent fuel has been deposited in a nuclear materials storage site in Idaho that is maintained by the United States Department of Energy.

The removal of the spent fuel from the Buffalo Materials Research Center (BMRC) is an early step in the overall decommissioning process for the facility. The reactor facility ceased operation in June of 1994 and university personnel had maintained the fuel in storage on-site since then.

Similar activities have been undertaken in recent years at Cornell University, the University of Michigan and other university-based research reactor facilities.

The specific type of research reactor fuel, known as Pulstar Fuel, was utilized to operate the BMRC reactor. The reactor was used by UB for various university and commercial research applications during its 34 year operational lifetime.

The nuclear fuel was removed from the BMRC during the week of Sept. 19 by a licensed contractor, NAC International, Inc., in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy and UB personnel. The entire removal process was conducted under stringent security procedures mandated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), which regulates the decommissioning of licensed nuclear facilities in the United States. The process was overseen by UB's Office of University Facilities. Security was coordinated by the university in conjunction with appropriate off-site local and federal agencies.

The shipment from Buffalo arrived at the storage site, the Idaho National Laboratory, on Sept. 28. Under federal security mandates pertaining to national security concerns, UB officials were prohibited from announcing details or the timing of the transfer of the material until 10 days after the shipment arrived at its destination. The shipment was performed in accordance with the regulations of the NRC and the United States Department of Transportation and pursuant to requirements of Homeland Security.

The BMRC facility now will undergo the remaining steps in the NRC-required decommissioning process. Final decommissioning and release of the site is not expected to be completed for several years.