After making electricity for four to six years, used nuclear fuel assemblies are removed from the reactor and placed in a specially designed pool inside the plant.

All industrial process have byproducts -- wastes. Although nuclear power plants produce far less than most industries, some of Calvert Cliffs' wastes are radioactive and require special handling. Much nuclear waste is ordinary trash, tools, protective clothing, wiping cloths, and disposable items that have been contaminated with small amounts of radioactive dust or particles. We ship these, along with filters and other similar materials considered low-level wastes, to a licensed disposal facility. Another by-product is used nuclear fuel. This fuel is a solid, ceramic material (uranium dioxide) sealed in metal rods. After it has been used in making electricity for four to six years, it is considered "spent." Eventually, we will ship this spent fuel to a national disposal facility
being developed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). In the meantime, we safely store all Calvert Cliffs' used fuel here on site. Most of the used fuel is stored inside the plant in a specially
designed pool resembling a large swimming pool. There water cools the fuel and acts as a radiation shield. 

Older and less radio-active fuel is kept in a dry storage facility. It is sealed in special containers, inside concrete reinforced shelters. Air circulating through the shelters cools the fuel. It requires no moving parts, no maintenance, and no electricity or external power. It is simple, safe, and reliable.


Older used fuel, sealed in steel canisters, is safely stored on-site enclosed in heavy-duty concrete.
Our company and our customers fund DOE's spent-fuel disposal program through fees collected in electric rates. So far, we have invested more than $188 million in the program, and the nuclear
industry as a whole has contributed more than $12 billion. We firmly believe the centralized disposal facility DOE is developing is the best long-term method for disposing of spent nuclear fuel. Our
company has been, and will continue to be, actively involved in ensuring this facility is completed and begins taking Nuclear fuel.