Dry Fuel Store meaning

In practice, a dry fuel store is a purpose-built facility, typically on a nuclear power station site, for the interim storage of used (spent) nuclear fuel in dry conditions (air or inert gas) rather than in water. It is an industry and regulatory term rather than a statutory definition, commonly used across planning, licensing, safety and environmental permitting documents. Key legal features include: - Location on a licensed nuclear site, subject to the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, ONR oversight and site licence conditions (including safety case and construction/operation consents). - Radioactive substances regulation: Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 (EA/NRW); Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations 2018 (SEPA); Radioactive Substances Act 1993 in Northern Ireland (NIEA). - Planning consent, which for new large generating stations in England and Wales is typically addressed within a Development Consent Order under the Planning Act 2008. - Use of shielded casks or vaults with passive cooling to store fuel pending reprocessing or disposal; it does not involve wet storage ponds. - Operator nuclear liability remains with the site licensee under the Nuclear Installations Act/Paris regime. Usage is broadly consistent across England & Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Ireland has no nuclear power stations or dry fuel stores;...