Public Information Circular 

For Shipments of Irradiated 

Reactor Fuel

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response 

NUREG-0725, Rev. 15
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DISCLAIMER: This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the U.S. Government. Neither 

the U.S. Government nor any agency thereof, nor any employee, makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes 

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owned rights.
Public Information Circular 

For Shipments of Irradiated 

Reactor Fuel 

Manuscript Completed: January 2010 

Date Published: May 2010 

Prepared by 

A.G. Garrett, S.L. Garrett, and R.G. Ostler 

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory 

P.O. Box 999 

Richland, WA 99352 

K. Jamgochian, NRC Project Manager 

NRC Job Code N4104 

 

Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response 

NUREG-0725, Rev. 15 
iii

ABSTRACT

This report provides information on the shipment of irradiated reactor fuel (spent fuel) subject to 

regulation by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). It briefly describes spent fuel 

shipment safety and safeguards requirements of general interest, summarizes data for highway 

and railway shipments from 1979 - 2007, and lists, by State, recent highway and railway 

shipment routes. This circular does not include Department of Defense and Department of 

Energy spent fuel shipments.

The enclosed route information reflects specific NRC approvals that the agency has granted in 

response to requests for shipments of spent fuel. This publication does not constitute authority 

for carriers or other persons to use the routes to ship spent fuel, other categories of nuclear 

waste, or other materials.

PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT STATEMENT

The information collections contained in this NUREG are covered by the requirements of 10 

CFR Part 71 and 10 CFR Part 73, which were approved by the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB), approval numbers 3150-0008 and 3150-0002.

Public Protection Notification

The NRC may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a request for 

information or an information collection requirement unless the requesting document displays a 

currently valid OMB approval number.
iv
v

CONTENTS

ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................iii

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1

2. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR SPENT FUEL SHIPMENTS................................. 3

2.1 Safety Requirements....................................................................................................... 3

2.1.1 Packaging Standards .............................................................................................. 3

2.1.2 Routing Requirements.............................................................................................. 4

2.1.3 Spent Fuel Shipment Safety Record......................................................................... 4

2.2 Safeguards Requirements............................................................................................... 4

2.2.1 Route Approval......................................................................................................... 5

2.2.2 Notification of State Governors................................................................................. 5

2.2.3 Spent Fuel Shipment Safeguards Report ................................................................. 5

3. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS FOR HIGHWAY AND RAILWAY SPENT FUEL SHIPMENTS 

FROM 1979-2007 ............................................................................................................... 7

4. ROUTE SEGMENT LISTING FOR RECENT HIGHWAY AND RAILWAY SPENT FUEL 

SHIPMENTS....................................................................................................................... 9
vi
vii

FIGURES

Figure 3.1 Routes Used for Spent Fuel Shipments: 1979 - 2007.............................................10

Figure 3-2 Number of Spent Fuel Shipments by Mode from 1979 - 2007.................................17

Figure 3-3 Number of Spent Fuel Shipments by Year from 1979 - 2007 ..................................18

Figure 3-4 Quantity of Spent Fuel Shipped by Mode from 1979 - 2007 ....................................19

Figure 3-5 Quantity of Spent Fuel Shipped by Year from 1979 - 2007 .....................................20

Figure 3-6 Spent Fuel Shipment Miles by Mode from 1979 - 2007...........................................21

Figure 3-7 Spent Fuel Shipment Miles by Year from 1979 - 2007 ............................................22

Figure 3-8 Spent Fuel Shipment Kilogram-Miles by Mode from 1979 - 2007............................23

Figure 3-9 Spent Fuel Shipment Kilogram-Miles by Year from 1979 - 2007 .............................24

Figure 3-10 Number and Total Quantity of Spent Fuel Shipments by Shipment Quantity Range 

from 1979 - 2007 ...........................................................................................................25

Figure 3-11 Number and Total Quantity of Spent Fuel Shipments by Shipment Distance Range 

from 1979 - 2007 ...........................................................................................................26
viii

TABLES

Table 3-1 Number of Shipments and Quantity of Spent Fuel Shipped from 1979 - 2007..........11

Table 3-2 Summary Data for 1979 - 2007 Spent Fuel Shipment Information............................15

Table 3-3 Number of Domestic and International Spent Fuel Shipments from 1979 - 2007......16

Table 4-1 Highway and Railway Spent Fuel Shipment Routes Used from 1998 - 2007............27
1

1. INTRODUCTION

The Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, authorizes the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission (NRC) to regulate the commercial nuclear industry for the purpose of protecting the 

public health and safety and the environment from the effects of radiation from nuclear reactors, 

materials and waste facilities. We also regulate these nuclear materials and facilities to promote 

the common defense and security of the United States. Included in this authority is the 

regulation of certain aspects of the transportation of irradiated reactor fuel (spent fuel). Section 

2 of this report explains the NRC’s role in this regard. Section 3 provides descriptive statistics 

on spent fuel shipments in the commercial nuclear industry for the period of 1979 - 2007. 

Section 4 lists highway and railway segments used in each State for transporting spent fuel in 

recent years (1998 - 2007).
2
3

2. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR SPENT FUEL SHIPMENTS

The NRC regulates spent fuel shipments in terms of both safety and safeguards. Safety 

involves the protection of public health and safety during transport as well as in the event of 

handling or transportation accidents, whereas safeguards relates to the protection of shipments 

against deliberate, malevolent acts by persons.

2.1 Safety Requirements

The NRC and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) share Federal regulatory 

responsibility for spent fuel transportation safety. In terms of safety, the NRC ensures that 

spent fuel packaging meets strict regulatory design rules, approves package designs and quality 

assurance programs, and conducts inspections. Title 10, Part 71 “Packaging and 

Transportation of Radioactive Materials,” of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR Part 71) 

specifies NRC packaging requirements. The role of DOT in regulating spent fuel shipment 

safety is broad and covers all aspects of actual transportation, including route selection, vehicle 

condition and placarding, driver training, packaging marking, labeling, and other shipping 

documentation, as specified in 49 CFR Parts 171-178, 356 and 397.

2.1.1 Packaging Standards

The NRC regulations for spent fuel shipments primarily address the packaging of spent fuel to 

protect public health and safety during transportation. The packaging standards that have been 

established in the regulations provide that a spent fuel package (cask) shall prevent the loss or 

dispersion of the radioactive contents, provide adequate shielding and heat dissipation, and 

prevent nuclear criticality under both normal and accident conditions of transportation. The 

regulations specify the normal conditions of transportation that must be considered in terms of 

hot and cold environments, pressure differential, vibration, water spray, impact, puncture, and 

compression tests. Accident conditions that must be considered are specified in terms of 

impact, puncture, fire conditions, and immersion.

The NRC reviews the cask design to verify its resistance to accident conditions. The NRC must

issue a certificate before a cask fabricated from the reviewed design can be used to transport 

spent fuel.

The ability of packaging to provide protection has been demonstrated by the responses of 

packaging during actual traffic accidents. For example, an accident occurred on December 8, 

1971, on a major highway near Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In this accident, the driver of a vehicle 

carrying a spent fuel cask swerved to avoid colliding with an oncoming vehicle, lost control, and 

overturned off the roadway. The cask assembly was thrown into a ditch, traveling more than 

100 feet before coming to rest. No release of contents or radiation occurred. The outer surface 

of the cask sustained minor damage. The spent fuel cask was placed on another trailer and 

taken to its destination. The cask was returned to service after inspection and repair of the 

minor damage.

Controlled tests have also demonstrated the resistance of casks to accidents. In one test, 

sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), a truck bearing a cask was deliberately 

placed in the path of and was struck by a 120-ton locomotive traveling about 80 miles per hour. 

In another DOE test, a cask aboard a truck moving about 80 miles per hour was deliberately 

crashed into an immovable concrete structure. Subsequent examination in both these tests 

confirmed that the casks would not have released any radioactive material had they been 
4 

loaded with spent fuel. Thus, both field experience and controlled tests have substantiated the 

strategy of depending on packaging design for safety in transit.

Further information on spent fuel shipments safety and cask performance-oriented requirements 

is available in NUREG/BR-0111, “Transporting Spent Fuel - Protection Provided against Severe 

Highway and Railroad Accidents” and NUREG/BR-0292, “Safety of Spent Fuel Transportation.”

2.1.2 Routing Requirements

An NRC-approved route must meet DOT requirements in 49 CFR 397.101, which provide that 

radioactive material shipments are to be carried over the Interstate System of highways and 

available city beltways as the primary roadways. No routing rule exists for rail shipments. 

Roadways are designated as preferred highways based on their capacity for reducing transit 

times. Appropriate State agencies, following prescribed criteria, may designate an alternate 

route to the preferred Interstate System. Spent fuel carriers are responsible for abiding by the 

routing rule when they transport spent fuel by highway.

2.1.3 Spent Fuel Shipment Safety Record

The safety record for spent fuel shipments in the United States and in other industrialized 

nations is enviable. Of the thousands of shipments completed over the last 30 years, none has 

resulted in an identifiable injury through the release of radioactive material.

2.2 Safeguards Requirements

In May 1979, the NRC revised its regulations in 10 CFR 73.37, “Requirements for Physical 

Protection of Irradiated Reactor Fuel in Transit,” to strengthen the protection of shipments of 

spent fuel against radiological sabotage. In 10 CFR 73.37(a), the regulation identifies the 

material requiring physical protection as “... a quantity of irradiated fuel in excess of 100 grams 

in net weight of irradiated fuel, exclusive of cladding or other structural or packaging material 

which has a total external dose rate in excess of 100 rems per hour at a distance of 3 feet from 

any accessible surface without intervening shielding....” The NRC subsequently revised these 

regulations in May 1980, in response to public comments. The regulations require, among other 

actions, NRC approval of routes for the transportation of spent fuel to ensure adequate planning 

for physical protection against actual or attempted acts of radiological sabotage. Physical 

protection requirements for NRC licensees who transport or deliver spent fuel to a carrier for 

transport include advance notification to the NRC of shipments, procedures for handling 

emergencies, establishing a communications center, contact with the communications center 

every 2 hours, a written log of shipment events, arrangements with local law enforcement 

agencies, avoidance of intermediate stops, surveillance of the shipment vehicle while stopped, 

armed escorts in heavily populated areas, escort training, onboard communications, 

immobilization devices on trucks, driver training, and notification of State governors before 

making shipments. In the aftermath of terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the NRC issued 

multiple safeguard advisories and security orders to enhance the security of spent fuel 

transportation. The advisories recommended that licensees implement additional security 

measures during shipments, including enhanced preplanning and coordination with the affected 

States, enhanced control and monitoring of shipments and enhanced emergency response 

procedures. The orders required specific additional security measures be implemented to 

ensure enhanced security when certain conditions were met.
5

2.2.1 Route Approval

NRC Licensees who transport or deliver to a carrier for transport spent fuel are required to 

submit proposed routes for such shipments to the NRC for approval, from a safeguards 

perspective, before the use of a given route. For highway shipments, the licensee must 

propose a route that conforms to DOT routing rules. As part of an NRC security inspection, the 

NRC can survey proposed routes for communication reception, location of safe havens, and 

other considerations. The NRC may approve a route for a single shipment or a specified series 

of shipments. Once the NRC has approved a shipment series, the route may be used for all 

shipments without re-approval of the route for each shipment, provided that the NRC is notified 

in advance of each shipment. The NRC approves a route for a stated period and may renew 

the approval after that period. All approvals expire unless renewed. NRC approval authorizes 

only spent fuel shipments and does not include other categories of nuclear waste material. From 

time to time, the NRC may authorize alternate routes or detours, as circumstances dictate at the 

time of shipment. In addition, detours may be taken without prior approval, in response to 

unforeseen circumstances that arise during a shipment. The NRC has provided criteria for 

determining when and how such detours may be taken in published regulatory guidance 

(NUREG-0561, “Physical Protection of Irradiated Spent Fuel”).

2.2.2 Notification of State Governors

The NRC requires its licensees to notify the Governor or the Governor’s designee before 

transporting spent fuel within or through the State (10 CFR 73.37(f)). The notification must be 

made in writing and postmarked at least 7 days before transport, if mailed, or delivered at least 

4 days before transport, if sent by messenger. The notification must include the following 

information:

• the name, address, and telephone number of the shipper, carrier, and receiver

• a description of the shipment, as specified by DOT

• a listing of the routes to be used within the State

• a statement that the NRC requires shipment schedule information (provided as an 

enclosure) to be protected from unauthorized disclosure

The enclosure to the notification provides the following:

• the estimated date and time of departure from the point of origin of the shipment

• the estimated date and time of entry into the Governor’s State

• a statement that schedule information must be protected from unauthorized disclosure 

until at least 10 days after the shipment (or 10 days after the last shipment of a series) 

has entered or originated within the State.

The licensee must also notify the Governor of scheduling changes that differ by more than 6 

hours from the furnished schedule. Subsequent distribution of the schedule information is at the 

Governor’s discretion, but NRC regulations require all persons who receive the schedule 

information to protect it from unauthorized disclosure.

2.2.3 Spent Fuel Shipment Safeguards Report

Safeguards incidents for all spent fuel shipments are those that involve attempts at radiological 

sabotage of spent fuel, or purposeful acts that threaten or result in significant degradation of the 
6

safeguards system used to protect the shipment. The regulations require licensees to notify law 

enforcement authorities immediately upon the occurrence of discovery of a safeguard incident

to initiate an appropriate response. In addition, licensees must promptly report safeguards 

incidents to the NRC by telephone, followed by a written report.
7

3. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS FOR HIGHWAY AND RAILWAY SPENT FUEL 

SHIPMENTS FROM 1979-2007

This section provides descriptive statistics on the shipments that have occurred since the NRC 

began approving spent fuel shipments in 1979, through 2007. It includes only shipments of 

academic, industrial, and utility irradiated reactor fuel subject to NRC regulation. The NRC does 

not regulate DOE shipments; therefore, the statistics reported here do not include them.

Figure 3-1 is a graphic depiction of the approved spent fuel routes utilized between 1979-2007. 

Most of the routes depicted in the figure have expired.

Table 3-1 depicts the number of shipments and quantity of spent fuel shipped from 1979-2007.

1

Table 3-2 and Figures 3-1 through 3-9 provide more detailed spent fuel shipment information, 

including routes used, mode of shipment (highway or railway) and shipment trends over time. 

Table 3-2 summarizes the spent fuel shipment data for the 1979-2007 period. For each year, 

the table provides four variables that describe shipping activity by mode. The quantity (i.e. 

weight) of material being shipped is based on the shipment pre-notification letters sent to the 

NRC in accordance with the requirements of 10 CFR 73.37.2

The NRC took the data for highway shipment miles for each route primarily from a road atlas 

and rounded the annual total to the nearest hundred miles. The kilogram-miles data are derived 

from shipment quantity and distance data and have been rounded to the nearest hundred 

thousand.

Table 3-3 shows the pattern of highway and rail shipments throughout the period 1979-2007. 

The number of domestic highway shipments (except for 1981) rose to a high of 209 in 1984 

then declined until 1988, when the recent average of 9 highway shipments per year was 

reached. Import shipments have generally declined since 1980. The annual number of export 

shipments has been low (0-4) through the entire period. In addition, in 1990-1993 five 

international shipments passed in transit through U.S. ports.

Figure 3-2 shows that most (82.7 percent) of the 1554 spent fuel shipments during the 1979-

2007 period were completed over highways. Figure 3-3 shows that most of the shipping activity 

occurred during the 1980-1987, with relatively low shipping activity after 1987.

Figure 3-4 shows that the larger quantity (84.4 percent) of spent fuel was shipped by railway,

which reflects the greater capacity of rail spent fuel containers versus those for trucks. In 

 1 Because of record keeping differences, the number of shipments and kilograms of spent fuel 

shipped in this table will be lower than the figures in Table 3-2.

2 The NRC staff notes that the requirements of 10 CFR 73.37 do not result in uniform reporting 

standard for the quantity of radioactive material being shipped. Licensees providing advance 

notifications to the NRC use several different units to describe the quantity of radioactive 

material being shipped (e.g., “Pounds of hazardous material shipped.” “Kilograms of uranium,”

and “kilograms of uranium-235 after irradiation”). For this report, the NRC staff estimated the

quantity of material being shipped based on the information reported in the advance notification 

letter. For example, material testing reactor fuel assemblies typically weigh 4-6 kilograms (10-

13 pounds) each. If the advance notification letter indicated that the shipment consisted of 10 of 

these assemblies, the NRC staff estimated the total weight of the spent fuel in the shipment as 

60 kilograms (approximately 130 pounds).
8

addition, a few rail shipments included multiple spent fuel containers, further increasing the rail 

shipment payload. The figure indicates that 2,470,000 kilograms or about 2,400 metric tonnes, 

of spent fuel were shipped during the 1979-2007 period. Figure 3-5 shows that the greatest 

quantities of spent fuel were shipped during the period 1984-1987 and that since then, most 

spent fuel has been shipped by rail.

Figure 3-6 shows that the highway mode accounted for most (92.6 percent) of the 1,002,500

spent fuel shipment miles. Figure 3-7 shows that shipment mileage peaked in 1984, with a 

general decline in subsequent years.

Figure 3-8 shows the cumulative movement of spent fuel, calculated by summing the product of 

quantity and distance for all shipments and expressed in kilogram-miles. The unit is analogous 

to “ton-miles,” a unit commonly used to measure the flow of commodities. The figure shows that 

the railway mode accounted for the majority (76.5 percent) of the 704.5 million kilogram-miles 

associated with spent fuel shipments. Figure 3-9 shows the kilogram-miles distribution by year.

Finally, Figures 3-10 and 3-11 provide an operational perspective for the spent fuel shipments. 

Figure 3-10 show the distribution of shipments by individual shipment quantity, and the 

corresponding total quantity shipped. The individual shipment quantities have been grouped 

into ranges, with highway shipments most frequently falling within the 0-10 and 400-500 

kilogram ranges and with most railway shipments within the 6,000-16,000 kilogram range.

The smallest quantity range (0-10 kilograms) accounts for the largest number of highway 

shipments, 540. Conversely, the 214 railway shipments that exceeded 6,000 kilograms 

comprised 80 percent of the quantity of spent fuel shipped. 

Figure 3-11 shows the distribution of shipments by distance range, and corresponding total 

quantity of spent fuel shipped. For highway shipments, the number of shipments generally 

decreases with shipment distance, although a significant number of shipments exceeded 900 

miles. Of the 377,000 kilograms shipped by highway, 177,000 kilograms (47 percent) traveled 

less than 200 miles. The number of rail shipments was somewhat uniform over the ranges, with 

the 200-400 mile shipments accounting for 67 percent of the total quantity shipped by rail.
9

4. ROUTE SEGMENT LISTING FOR RECENT HIGHWAY AND RAILWAY SPENT FUEL 

SHIPMENTS

Table 4-1 lists highway and railway routes that have been used to transport spent fuel during 

1998-2007. The table lists shipment origination and destinations, the approved route used, and 

the years during which the shipment was completed. The table shows that highway spent fuel 

shipments originated in 18 States, and that railway shipments originated in two States during 

the period discussed.
10

Figure 3.1 Routes Used for Spent Fuel Shipments: 1979 - 2007
11

Table 3-1 Number of Shipments and Quantity of Spent Fuel Shipped from 1979 - 2007

State Origination Destination

Number 

of

Shipments

Kg of Spent

Fuel 

Shipped

AL Browns Ferry, AR GE Vallecitos, CA 1 0

AR Arkansas One, AR Portsmouth, VA 1 3

CA GE Vallecitos, CA Argonne National Lab, IL 5 473.3

Hanford, WA 3 102

Idaho National Engineering Lab 18 71

Port of Oakland, CA** 7 57

Portland, OR** 1 1

Richmond, CA** 3 39

General Atomics, CA Idaho National Engineering Lab 3 73

Port of Oakland, CA* GE Vallecitos, CA 9 93

Richmond, CA* GE Vallecitos, CA 1 12

San Onofre, CA GE Morris, IL 16 6800

Univ of California (Berkeley), CA Idaho National Engineering Lab 3 21

CN McMaster Univ, CN Savannah River Site, SC 1 5.6

CO Fort St. Vrain, CO General Atomics, CA 2 10

Idaho National Engineering Lab 123 500

CT Haddam Neck, CT Battelle-Columbus, OH 3 1275

Millstone, CT GE Vallecitos, CA 3 43

FL University of Florida Savannah River Site, SC 8 1147

GA E.I. Hatch, GA Babcock & Wilcox, VA 1 20

GE Vallecitos, CA 1 14

Georgia Tech, GA Savannah River Site, SC 1 4.47

Port of Savannah, GA* Savannah River Site, SC 5 65

IA Duane Arnold, IA GE Vallecitos, CA 3 25

ID Idaho National Engineering Lab, ID Portland, OR** 1 3

IL Byron Station, IL Alexandria Bay, NY 1 11
12

State Origination Destination

Number 

of

Shipments

Kg of Spent

Fuel 

Shipped

Dresden Station, IL Babcock & Wilcox, VA 3 56

Portsmouth, VA 1 9

GE Morris, IL La Cross, WI 4 939

Point Beach, WI 108 48382

La Salle County State, IL Portsmouth, VA 1 373

Quad Cities, IL Babcock & Wilcox, VA 2 499

Battelle-Columbus, OH 1 18

GE Vallecitos, CA 4 56

Univ of Illinois, IL Idaho National Engineering Lab, ID 2 745

Univ of Texas at Austin, TX 1 73

Zion, IL Battelle-Columbus, OH 2 920

IN Purdue University Savannah River Site, SC 1 112

MA MIT, MA Savannah River Site, SC 20 629

Univ of Mass - Lowell, MA Savannah River Site, SC 2 194

MD Calvert Cliffs, MD Alexandria Bay, NY 1 25

Battelle-Columbus, OH 3 64

Dundalk, MD* GE Vallecitos, CA 3 48.8

Port of Oakland, CA** 1 0.302

NIST, MD Savannah River Site, SC 15 952.7

MI Big Rock Point, MI Portsmouth, VA 2 14

Michigan State Univ., MI Denver Federal Center, CO 1 8

Idaho National Engineering Lab 2 11

Univ of Michigan, MI Savannah River Site, SC 24 986

MN Monticello, MN Battelle-Columbus, OH 2 67

GE Morris, IL 29 195013

GE Vallecitos, CA 4 55

MO Callaway, MO Alexandria Bay, NY 1 14

Univ of Missouri, MO Idaho National Engineering Lab 15 81

Savannah River Site, SC 68 2380.3

NC Brunswick, NC Battelle-Columbus, OH 1 30

Shearon Harris, NC 199 1101632.6
13

State Origination Destination

Number 

of

Shipments

Kg of Spent

Fuel 

Shipped

GE Wilmington, NC Shearon Harris, NC 2 19

McGuire, NC Babcock & Wilcox, VA 1 5

Dundalk, MD** 1 13.1

Southport, NC* Savannah River Site, SC 1 22

Sunny Point, NC* Savannah River Site, SC 1 14

ND Pembina, ND* Idaho National Engineering Lab 1 3

NE Cooper, NE GE Morris, IL 30 194546

Fort Calhoun, NE Battelle-Columbus, OH 1 1

Veteran Admin, NE Denver Federal Center 2 827

NJ Hope Creek, NJ GE Vallecitos, CA 1 17

Oyster Creek, NJ Battelle-Columbus, OH 1 33

NY Alexandria Bay, NY* Savannah River Site, SC 10 227

Buffalo, NY* Idaho National Engineering Lab 2 247

Savannah River Site, SC 2 247

Cintichem, NY Idaho National Engineering Lab 3 10

Savannah River Site, SC 14 41

Cornell University, NY Idaho National Engineering Lab 1 497

Erie, NY* Savannah River Site, SC 1 5.6

Fort Erie, NY* Savannah River Site, SC 1 3

Ginna, NY Dundalk, MD 1 4

Nuclear Fuel Service, West Valley, NY Battelle-Columbus, OH 8 2977

Dresden Station, IL 31 20447

Ginna, NY 73 32300

Oyster Creek, NJ 33 42950

Point Beach, WI 114 48450

Ogdensburg, NY* Savannah River Site, SC 14 35

OH Battelle-Columbus, OH Calvert Cliffs, MD 1 72

GE Morris, IL 2 791

GE Vallecitos, CA 2 28

Ginna, NY 5 2632

Savannah River Site, SC 1 1

Zion, IL 2 879
14

State Origination Destination

Number 

of

Shipments

Kg of Spent

Fuel 

Shipped

OR Portland, OR* Idaho National Engineering Lab 28 139

PA Limerick Station, PA GE Vallecitos, CA 2 44

Three Mile Island, PA GE Vallecitos, CA 1 12.8

RI Rhode Island AEC, RI Savannah River Site, SC 35 16

SC Charleston, SC* Idaho National Engineering Lab 5 2855

Savannah River Site, SC 149 18359.87

Oconee, SC Babcock & Wilcox, VA 6 972

Buffalo, NY** 2 23

McGuire, VA 138 140094

Robinson, SC Brunswick, NC 18 49725

GE Vallecitos, CA 1 358

Shearon Harris, NC 49 345666.5

Savannah River Site, SC Idaho National Engineering Lab 9 2714

Virgil Summer, SC* Alexandria Bay, NY 2 35

TX Texas A&M University Idaho National Engineering Lab 2 481

VA Babcock & Wilcox, VA GE Vallecitos, CA 2 41

Oconee, SC 3 558

Quad Cities, IL 2 499

Newport News, VA* Savannah River Site, SC 4 24

Norfolk Intl Terminal, VA Savannah River Site, SC 1 7 

North Anna Power Station, VA Portsmouth, VA** 1 528

Portsmouth, VA* GE Vallecitos, CA 1 9 

Idaho National Engineering Lab 39 200

Savannah River Site, SC 169 1057

Surry, VA Battelle-Columbus, OH 1 20

Univ of Virginia, VA Savannah River Site, SC 10 15

VT Derby Lane, VT* Savannah River Site, SC 8 20

* Port of Entry

** Port of Departure
15

Table 3-2 Summary Data for 1979 - 2007 Spent Fuel Shipment Information

Year

Number of 

Shipments

Kilograms Spent 

Fuel Shipped 

(Thousand)

Shipment Miles 

(Thousand)

Kilogram-Miles 

(Million)

Highway Railway Highway Railway Highway Railway Highway Railway

1979 16 11 0.1 30.2 8.0 2.3 0.1 6.2

1980 130 5 10.1 13.6 115.9 1.0 17.2 2.8

1981 81 2 7.9 6.0 38.5 0.4 1.7 1.2

1982 124 0 7.1 0.0 106.8 0.0 1.8 0.0

1983 117 0 36.6 0.0 83.6 0.0 12.7 0.0

1984 245 3 84.5 23.8 181.3 1.6 51.4 12.7

1985 135 18 74.0 119.4 70.9 8.7 28.3 57.8

1986 105 15 40.4 97.5 47.8 8.7 8.8 56.3

1987 107 15 82.3 101.4 41.8 8.4 14.8 56.5

1988 25 7 12.8 41.8 11.4 4.3 2.4 25.7

1989 16 6 0.1 30.8 16.7 1.7 0.1 8.7

1990 5 8 (0.03)* 70.5 1.5 1.6 (0.02)* 12.7

1991 9 10 0.1 101.1 9.6 1.5 0.1 15.0

1992 21 6 0.1 61.2 15.7 0.8 0.1 8.1

1993 16 12 0.1 113.8 23.2 2.3 0.3 21.9

1994 7 10 (0.02)* 84.0 6.6 2.2 (0.01)* 17.4

1995 9 10 (0.07)* 83.7 12.6 2.2 0.1 18.4

1996 4 9 (0.02)* 77.9 2.8 1.5 (0.01)* 13.1

1997 9 6 (0.08)* 39.9 12.7 0.9 0.1 6.0

1998 11 15 0.6 105.3 11.6 3.7 0.6 22.3

1999 10 13 3.6 90.1 14.5 2.9 7.9 19.0

2000 15 5 2.8 42.0 18.5 0.9 2.3 5.9

2001 12 9 2.3 61.1 18.0 2.1 4.0 13.2

2002 8 18 1.7 163.0 7.2 3.4 1.0 30.3

2003 18 15 2.6 141.4 22.2 3.0 3.2 27.0

2004 9 16 2.6 163.0 9.6 3.1 3.3 32.9

2005 7 9 0.6 91.0 6.9 1.7 0.8 18.7

2006 6 8 0.9 64.4 7.1 1.6 1.5 13.2

2007 8 8 3.0 75.3 6.7 1.6 1.6 15.5

TOTAL 1285 269 377 2093 930 74 166 538

*Entries in parenthesis rounded to nearest hundredth. All others rounded to nearest tenth.
16

Table 3-3 Number of Domestic and International Spent Fuel Shipments from 1979 - 2007

Year

Domestic International

Highway Railway Export Import Transshipments

1979 2 11 0 14 0

1980 73 5 2 55 0

1981 30 2 3 48 0

1982 80 0 1 43 0

1983 92 0 2 23 0

1984 209 3 2 34 0

1985 114 18 0 21 0

1986 88 15 0 17 0

1987 85 15 3 19 0

1988 10 7 0 15 0

1989 11 6 1 4 0

1990 0 8 3 0 2

1991 4 10 4 0 1

1992 20 6 0 0 1

1993 14 12 1 0 1

1994 6 9 1 1 0

1995 7 9 1 2 0

1996 3 8 0 2 0

1997 7 4 1 3 0

1998 11 11 0 4 0

1999 8 9 0 6 0

2000 10 4 0 6 0

2001 9 6 1 5 0

2002 6 16 2 2 0

2003 15 14 1 3 0

2004 7 14 0 4 0

2005 6 7 0 3 0

2006 5 7 0 2 0

2007 6 7 0 3 0
17

Figure 3-2 Number of Spent Fuel Shipments by Mode from 1979 - 2007
18

Figure 3-3 Number of Spent Fuel Shipments by Year from 1979 - 2007
19

Figure 3-4 Quantity of Spent Fuel Shipped by Mode from 1979 - 2007
20

Figure 3-5 Quantity of Spent Fuel Shipped by Year from 1979 - 2007
21

Figure 3-6 Spent Fuel Shipment Miles by Mode from 1979 - 2007
22

Figure 3-7 Spent Fuel Shipment Miles by Year from 1979 - 2007
23

Figure 3-8 Spent Fuel Shipment Kilogram-Miles by Mode from 1979 - 2007
24

Figure 3-9 Spent Fuel Shipment Kilogram-Miles by Year from 1979 - 2007
25

Figure 3-10 Number and Total Quantity of Spent Fuel Shipments by Shipment Quantity 

Range from 1979 - 2007
26

Figure 3-11 Number and Total Quantity of Spent Fuel Shipments by Shipment Distance 

Range from 1979 - 2007
27

Table 4-1 Highway and Railway Spent Fuel Shipment Routes Used from 1998 - 2007

Origin State Shipment NRC Route

Number

Transport

Mode

Shipment

Years

Alabama Browns Ferry Nuclear Station to

 GE Vallecitos Nuclear Center

209 Highway 2003

California GE Vallecitos Nuclear Center to

 Argonne National Laboratory

190 Highway 2000, 2001

General Atomic to

 Bechtel BWXT, INEEL

207 Highway 2003

Florida University of Florida to

 Savannah River Site 222 Highway 2006, 2007

Illinois La Salle County Station to

 Newport News 208 Highway 2003

University of Illinois to

 INEEL 214 Highway 2004

University of Illinois to

 University of Texas, Austin 213 Highway 2004

Indiana Purdue University Training Reactor to

 Savannah River Site 225 Highway 2007

Iowa Duane Arnold Energy Center to

 GE Vallecitos Nuclear Center 163 Highway 1998, 2008

Maryland Dundalk Marine Terminal to 

GE Vallecitos Nuclear Center 180 Highway 2000

National Institute of Standards and

 Technology to Savannah River Site 187 Highway 1999, 2003

Massachusetts Massachusetts Institute of

 Technology to Savannah River Site 166 Highway 1998 thru 

2002

University of Massachusetts, Lowell

 to Savannah River Site 215 Highway 2004

Massachusetts Institute of

 Technology to Savannah River Site 217 Highway 2005 thru 

2007

Michigan University of Michigan to

 Savannah River Site 196 Highway 1999, 2000, 

2003

Missouri University of Missouri, Columbia to

Savannah River Site 182 Highway 1998 thru 

2004

University of Missouri, Columbia to

Savannah River Site 182B Highway 2005 thru 

2007

Nebraska

Veteran Administration to

 U.S. Geological Survey, Denver

 Federal Center

206 Highway 2002

New York Cornell University to

 Bechtel BWXT, INEEL 212 Highway 2003

McMaster University to

 Savannah River Site 198 Highway 2000
28

Origin State Shipment NRC Route

Number

Transport

Mode

Shipment

Years

New York University of Toronto to

 Savannah River Site 198 Highway 2000

University of NY, Buffalo, NY to Idaho

 National Laboratory, Scoville, ID 216 Highway 2005

North Carolina Brunswick Nuclear Plant to 

Harris Nuclear Plant 130 Railway

1998, 1999, 

2001 thru 

2007 

Ohio Battelle .West Jefferson Site to

 Savannah River Site 211 Highway 2003

Pennsylvania Limerick Generating Station to

 GE Vallecitos Nuclear Center 197 Highway 1999, 2003

South Carolina H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant to

 Harris Nuclear Plant 135 Railway 2000, 2002 

thru 2004

H.B. Robinson Steam Electric Plant to

 GE Vallecitos Nuclear Center

200 Highway 2001

Charleston to

 Savannah River Site 185 Railway

1999, 2001, 

2002, 2004 

thru 2007

Charleston to

 Savannah River Site 192 Highway 2000, 2001, 

2004, 2007

Charleston to

 Savannah River Site 201A Railway 1998 thru 

2003

Charleston to

 Savannah River Site 210 Highway 2003, 2005

Charleston to

 INEEL 192 & 195 Highway 1999

Savannah River Site to

 INEEL 195 Highway 2000, 2001, 2003

Savannah River Site to

 INEEL 202 Highway 2004, 2006

Oconee Nuclear Site to

 AECL Chalk River 203 Highway 2001, 2002

Texas Texas A&M University to

 INEEL 221 Highway 2006, 2007

Virginia North Anna Power Station to

 Studsvik Nuclear 204A Highway 2002