The National Transportation Stakeholders Forum (NTSF) is hosting the Department of Energy for a webinar on June 18, 2025 regarding an upcoming shipment of a rail-sized research cask of spent nuclear fuel.
Ready to Move: DOE Prepares to ship a rail-sized research cask of spent nuclear fuel
Today, nuclear fuel is being kept in nuclear power reactors longer to produce more electricity. This type of fuel is known as “high burnup.” The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with the nuclear power industry, is researching how high burnup spent nuclear fuel (SNF) behaves in long-term storage to ensure that it can be stored safely for many years before being transported to a future Federal disposal facility. This research project centers around one container of SNF known as the “High Burnup Research Cask” (HBURC). The next stage of the project requires DOE to open the HBURC and examine the fuel rods inside, which can only be done safely in a specialized science facility like those available at DOE’s national laboratories. In 2027, DOE plans to ship the HBURC from its current location at the North Anna Power Station in Virginia to the Idaho National Laboratory. This NTSF webinar will share information about the HBURC project, as well as DOE’s preparations to transport the cask, coordinating shipment plans with Federal, Tribal, and State government partners, and offering technical assistance and emergency response training along the potential transportation routes.