Key Issues
Storage of Used Nuclear Fuel
Used nuclear fuel is stored at the nation's nuclear power plants in steel-lined, concrete vaults filled with water or in massive, airtight steel or concrete-and-steel canisters.
Safe Temporary Storage in Water-Filled Vaults
Used nuclear fuel is in storage at the nation’s 104 nuclear power plants. Most plants store used fuel in steel-lined, concrete vaults filled with water, which acts as a natural barrier for radiation from the used fuel. The water also keeps the fuel cool while the radiation decays—or becomes less radioactive. The water itself does not leave the used fuel pool.Storage Space Grows Tight at Plant Sites
The original design and construction of nuclear plants provided for used fuel storage for a decade or two, not for long-term storage. Federal law required the U.S. Department of Energy to begin moving used fuel from plant sites in 1998, but it has not yet begun to do so.
As a result, some nuclear plants have run out of capacity in their water-filled vaults. At these plants, used fuel is stored above ground in massive, airtight canisters made of steel, steel-reinforced concrete or steel-enclosed concrete. Diligent monitoring and maintenance of safety systems ensures the safety of these containers.
Looking Ahead
The federal government plans to develop advanced nuclear fuel recycling technologies that would reduce the volume, heat and toxicity of used fuel and recover the 90 percent of the original energy that remains in the fuel after one use in the reactor.Recycling facilities would include longer-term storage sites for used fuel. These sites would enable DOE to meet its obligation to move used fuel from operating nuclear plants before the Yucca Mountain, Nev., repository opens. Used fuel from nuclear plants could remain at these interim storage sites until it is recycled or transported to the Yucca Mountain repository for disposal.
