Key Issues
Advanced Fuel-Cycle Technologies Hold Promise for Used Fuel Management Program
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Industry Supports Integrated Used Fuel Management Strategy
The nuclear energy industry supports a three-pronged, integrated used fuel management strategy that includes:
Used fuel storage at nuclear plant sites is safe and secure. However, consolidated interim storage sites at volunteer locations would enable the movement of used fuel from both operating and decommissioned nuclear plants before recycling facilities begin operating. Preferably, interim storage sites would be at locations where nuclear fuel recycling facilities would be developed.
The industry supports the development of advanced fuel cycles, which will take decades to complete. The pursuit of this longer-term objective needs to begin in the near term; however, these activities must not compromise the federal government’s obligation under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to manage used commercial reactor fuel.
DOE is developing a permanent disposal facility for used nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain, Nev. Congress approved Yucca Mountain as the repository site in 2002, and in June 2008 DOE filed a license application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build the facility. The application is now under review by the NRC. Provided the construction permit is granted, DOE must obtain separate approval from the NRC to begin operating the facility.
Evaluating Closing the Fuel Cycle for the Long Term
The United States, for economic and other reasons, does not recycle used nuclear reactor fuel.
Commercial reactor fuel remains in the reactor until the useful energy content has been consumed, then it is removed for disposal in a specially designed repository.
However, other nations such as France, Japan and the United Kingdom use a fuel cycle in which used reactor fuel is reprocessed to recover plutonium, which is then recycled into new fuel for existing reactors. Ultimately, the remaining byproducts will be sent to a repository for disposal.
Recycling of used fuel has the potential to lower enrichment and new uranium requirements. It also has the potential to provide greater utilization of a geological repository and lower the risk to the biosphere from the high-level waste stored.
In the United States, closing the fuel cycle would entail the following:
Beyond use of current technology, development of new technologies will take time. It is appropriate that the federal government begin to vigorously pursue development of these technologies under programs such as DOE’s Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative.
Advanced fuel-cycle technologies cannot eliminate all of the byproducts in used nuclear fuel. Moreover, the systems eventually developed may not have the capacity to recycle all the commercial used fuel ever generated. The United States still will need a federal repository for disposal of these byproducts and for any unreprocessed used nuclear fuel. Repository disposal also is needed for the high-level radioactive waste created by the federal government from its defense programs. Most of this material is stored temporarily in Idaho, South Carolina and Washington State.
DOE has already devoted considerable effort toward encouraging the worldwide expansion of nuclear energy in a responsible manner.
DOE’s efforts have included consideration of plans whereby the United States and nations that already have uranium enrichment capability, such as France, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom, would provide nuclear fuel to other nations and take back the fuel once it is used. Through such international partnerships, countries would jointly develop advanced reprocessing, fuel-fabrication and reactor technologies.
These technologies would capture the unused energy remaining in uranium fuel after a single “once-through” cycle in a reactor and would greatly reduce the volume, heat and toxicity of radioactive byproducts for repository disposal.
Since 2006, DOE has been working with volunteer locations studying the possibility of hosting advanced fuel-cycle facilities in their communities. DOE in 2008 published a draft environmental impact statement for potential recycling and fast reactor sites.
In addition, DOE provided grants to four industrial consortia to propose business plans to the department for the development and commercial demonstration of advanced fuel-cycle facilities. These plans include preliminary designs, costs, financing requirements, etc.
Industry Supports Integrated Used Fuel Management Strategy
The nuclear energy industry supports a three-pronged, integrated used fuel management strategy that includes:
- interim storage
- research, development, commercial demonstration and deployment of technologies to close the nuclear fuel cycle
- development of a permanent disposal facility.
Used fuel storage at nuclear plant sites is safe and secure. However, consolidated interim storage sites at volunteer locations would enable the movement of used fuel from both operating and decommissioned nuclear plants before recycling facilities begin operating. Preferably, interim storage sites would be at locations where nuclear fuel recycling facilities would be developed.
The industry supports the development of advanced fuel cycles, which will take decades to complete. The pursuit of this longer-term objective needs to begin in the near term; however, these activities must not compromise the federal government’s obligation under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act to manage used commercial reactor fuel.
DOE is developing a permanent disposal facility for used nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain, Nev. Congress approved Yucca Mountain as the repository site in 2002, and in June 2008 DOE filed a license application with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build the facility. The application is now under review by the NRC. Provided the construction permit is granted, DOE must obtain separate approval from the NRC to begin operating the facility.
Evaluating Closing the Fuel Cycle for the Long Term
The United States, for economic and other reasons, does not recycle used nuclear reactor fuel.
Commercial reactor fuel remains in the reactor until the useful energy content has been consumed, then it is removed for disposal in a specially designed repository.
However, other nations such as France, Japan and the United Kingdom use a fuel cycle in which used reactor fuel is reprocessed to recover plutonium, which is then recycled into new fuel for existing reactors. Ultimately, the remaining byproducts will be sent to a repository for disposal.
Recycling of used fuel has the potential to lower enrichment and new uranium requirements. It also has the potential to provide greater utilization of a geological repository and lower the risk to the biosphere from the high-level waste stored.
In the United States, closing the fuel cycle would entail the following:
- establishing the policy and regulatory requirements for recycling facilities
- advanced used fuel recycling techniques
- deploying new fuel designs in existing reactors
- advanced reactors to extract additional energy from the recycled fuel and further reduce the volume, heat and radiotoxicity of byproducts in the fuel
- a federal repository.
Beyond use of current technology, development of new technologies will take time. It is appropriate that the federal government begin to vigorously pursue development of these technologies under programs such as DOE’s Advanced Fuel Cycle Initiative.
Advanced fuel-cycle technologies cannot eliminate all of the byproducts in used nuclear fuel. Moreover, the systems eventually developed may not have the capacity to recycle all the commercial used fuel ever generated. The United States still will need a federal repository for disposal of these byproducts and for any unreprocessed used nuclear fuel. Repository disposal also is needed for the high-level radioactive waste created by the federal government from its defense programs. Most of this material is stored temporarily in Idaho, South Carolina and Washington State.
DOE has already devoted considerable effort toward encouraging the worldwide expansion of nuclear energy in a responsible manner.
DOE’s efforts have included consideration of plans whereby the United States and nations that already have uranium enrichment capability, such as France, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom, would provide nuclear fuel to other nations and take back the fuel once it is used. Through such international partnerships, countries would jointly develop advanced reprocessing, fuel-fabrication and reactor technologies.
These technologies would capture the unused energy remaining in uranium fuel after a single “once-through” cycle in a reactor and would greatly reduce the volume, heat and toxicity of radioactive byproducts for repository disposal.
Since 2006, DOE has been working with volunteer locations studying the possibility of hosting advanced fuel-cycle facilities in their communities. DOE in 2008 published a draft environmental impact statement for potential recycling and fast reactor sites.
In addition, DOE provided grants to four industrial consortia to propose business plans to the department for the development and commercial demonstration of advanced fuel-cycle facilities. These plans include preliminary designs, costs, financing requirements, etc.
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