The rods are raised to the refueling floor of the reactor building with a crane and inspected for defects. A passed inspection means the rods are ready to be lowered into the fuel pool, which is 38 feet deep. The process takes place once a year. Workers change 250 to 270 of the 764 fuel bundles in either Unit 2 or Unit 3 every spring. They move the spent rods out of the reactor core with a crane and replace them with new rods.
Workers monitor the process for safety throughout.
Jones said the bundles are lifted a mere 12 feet from the bottom of the fuel pool, which contains 384,000 gallons of water. Political backing Despite concerns from advocacy groups that say the hazards of storing radioactive waste outweigh the benefits of nuclear power, the Bush administration has suggested adding nuclear plants to the list of those that will be built to meet rising energy demands. U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, backs Bush's plan and calls nuclear energy clean energy. He says he wants to see Unit 1 restarted at Browns Ferry. Sessions also advocates bringing on line Bellefonte Nuclear Plant near Scottsboro.