Spent-fuel casks at North Anna shifted in quake

Dominion Virginia Power, in the midst of stepped-up inspections at North Anna Power Station, says 25 of 27  vertical steel casks that hold highly radioactive spent fuel, shifted up to 4 1/2 inches on their pads in last Tuesday’s magnitude 5.8 earthquake. The company says the casks, which are stored in a secure area outside the reactor buildings, did not leak, and there is no danger to plant employees or the public. Another 27  newer, horizonal concrete containers did not move, but there was some  minor chipping on the outside. Thirteen of those have spent fuel inside. Meanwhile, plant engineers and an inspection team from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission are continuing their work at the site, investigating the possibility that ground motion at the plant, on Lake Anna near Mineral, exceeded design limits. See my story tomorrow for more details. Here’s my previous story.

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