DOE-funded Midwestern group briefs Kansas committee on single high‑burnup fuel cask shipment to Idaho in 2027
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Summary
Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Project staff told the committee the Department of Energy plans a single high‑burnup research cask (HBURC) shipment by rail to Idaho National Laboratory around 2027, with a dress rehearsal, armed escorts, a 50 mph speed limit and community outreach; committee members asked about route selection and cask survivability.
TOPEKA — A Department of Energy‑funded Midwestern group told the Committee on Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications on Jan. 26 that DOE plans to move one high‑burnup research cask (HBURC) of spent nuclear fuel from Virginia to Idaho National Laboratory and is coordinating route engagement with Midwestern states.
Melissa Shahazadeh, director of the Midwestern Radioactive Materials Transportation Project (MRMTP), said the shipment would involve a single certified rail cask and a specially designed Atlas railcar, travel by rail with armed escorts, be limited by regulation to about 50 miles per hour and take roughly a week. "I want to reiterate that this is 1 cask, and it is 1 shipment. This is not a herald of more to come," Shahazadeh said.
Shahazadeh described DOE’s work as the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle and said the HBURC move is intended to complete a research project begun in 2013 to study high‑burnup fuel behavior in storage. She said DOE plans a dress rehearsal in 2027 to test procedures and engage emergency responders and communities along the route; controlled (sensitive) information has been shared with specific communities for planning and training, while other project materials are publicly available on the DOE project webpage.
Committee members asked about cask survivability and route selection. Shahazadeh and Midwestern colleagues said the casks undergo extensive NRC certification and destructive testing scenarios (fire, submersion and high‑impact drops) and pointed to archived tests showing extreme crash scenarios in which casks remained intact. Greg Gothard, a gubernatorial appointee from Michigan, noted similar testing at the Nevada test site and said the modified railcar design leverages the Navy’s long experience shipping spent fuel.
Several members pressed why the route would travel through more populated areas rather than sparsely populated corridors; Shahazadeh replied the route was chosen to accommodate the cask’s size and weight to avoid overpasses, tunnels or other infrastructure constraints. Members expressed concerns about local exposure and emergency preparedness; presenters emphasized engagement and training with state and local emergency officials along the route.
No action was taken — the presentation was informational — and the committee proceeded to a separate bill hearing.
• Key details from the presentation: one HBURC cask; anticipated move in 2027; Atlas certified railcar; armed escorts; speed limited to 50 mph; journey ~one week; DOE will conduct a dress rehearsal and local outreach.