POWER September 2020 - 34

NUCLEAR WASTE
Age-Old Problem in
Search of a Solution
Industry experts agree that deep geological repositories are needed for long-term
storage of spent reactor fuel. They're also digging for alternative methods.
Darrell Proctor
he U.S. Department of Energy earlier
this year said the nation's nuclear
reactors generate about 2,000 metric
tons of used fuel annually. The agency
said the U.S. nuclear power industry has
produced about 83,000 metric tons of
used fuel since the 1950s, with commercial
used fuel rods stored at 76 reactor or
storage sites in 34 states.
Worldwide, more than a quarter-million
metric tons of radioactive nuclear
waste sits in storage. That includes used
fuel, and the waste from facilities involved
in producing nuclear weapons or
that reprocess and recycle used power
plant fuel.
Permanent disposal of this waste has
been a contentious issue. Several countries,
including
T
Switzerland,
Finland,
and others in Europe, have studied and
planned deep geological repositories for
their nuclear waste. Finland is furthest
along; construction of the Onkalo disposal
facility, the world's first permanent
geological repository, is ongoing, with the
site scheduled to begin operating in 2025.
The U.S. has sought a permanent solution
for nuclear waste for decades. The
focus for more than 30 years has been
on Yucca Mountain in Nevada, a site
about 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
But Yucca Mountain's status has been in
limbo almost since it received its designation
in 1987 as part of amendments to
the Nuclear Waste Policy Act, adopted
by Congress in 1982. The site has been
in and out of favor owing to the political
winds, both in Nevada and nationally.
" The optimal solution to the spent
nuclear fuel challenge is to reprocess
it into new fuel, as has been done in
France for decades, and is also currently
practiced in some measure by the UK,
India, Japan, Russia, and China, " said Tim
Farward, U.S. Nuclear Energy Practice
Leader for Marsh, an insurance broker
and risk management solutions company
for industries including energy providers.
Farward told POWER, " For perspective,
the French have recycled enough spent
34
fuel to power their 56-reactor nuclear
fleet for 14 years. This is not a perfect solution,
as some high-level waste is produced,
which must typically be vitrified,
and it does involve a great deal of transportation
of spent fuel. Although some
reprocessing will likely be in the future
of nuclear power in the United States,
it is not likely a near-term solution as it
requires a substantial investment, resolving
issues with previous historical reprocessing
efforts, and would ultimately
increase the cost of nuclear fuel. "
U.S. nuclear waste, like waste across
much of the world, remains in interim
storage, though analysts admit the interim
tag could in fact become the permanent
solution.
Political Obstacles
" I don't believe there is a silver bullet,
and there is not a single approach that
provides the best solution, " Julianne Antrobus,
head of nuclear with global consultancy
PA Consulting, told POWER.
Antrobus formerly was responsible for
developing the strategic direction of Atkins'
nuclear division, part of the SNCLavalin
Group.
" The decision of how to deal with
nuclear waste from existing facilities is a
national policy decision but influenced by
local considerations and dominated by
the host communities that will provide
the most optimum location for such a
facility, " Antrobus said. " These locations
are often in remote and sometimes economically
challenged areas. "
Nevada officials have repeatedly argued
against Yucca Mountain, even after
$15 billion was spent to develop the site
after its selection by Congress during
the Reagan
administration. President
Trump when he took office promised to
revive the Yucca Mountain project, and
earmarked money for the repository in
the federal budget process. In February
of this year, though, he reversed course
and said he opposed the project. Now
private companies are looking to build
storage sites that could serve as largewww.powermag.com
1.
Waste Control Specialists already is accepting
low-level nuclear waste at this location
in West Texas. The company is part of a
group seeking Nuclear Regulatory Commission
approval for a consolidated interim storage
facility for used fuel from the nation's
reactors. Courtesy: Waste Control Specialists
scale repositories.
Interim Storage Partners, formed by
Orano USA and Waste Control Specialists
(WCS), wants to store as much as
40,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel
at an existing facility in Andrews County
in West Texas (Figure 1), where WCS
is already accepting low-level nuclear
waste. The group is seeking a 40-year
license from the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) for what is known
as a consolidated interim storage facility
(CISF).
Holtec International has proposed a
CISF facility in New Mexico. That site,
35 miles from Carlsbad in the desert in
the southeastern part of the state, could
eventually hold up to 100,000 metric
tons of nuclear waste.
" There are two things to consider, "
said Antrobus. " First, the host communities
need to be accepting of such a facility.
Second, the facility needs to bolster
the community. With the right planning
and approach, host communities that accept
such a facility could see investment
in local infrastructure, hospital development,
enhanced programs for schools,
job creation from construction and operations
of the facility, etc. "
POWER | September 2020
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POWER September 2020

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