Economics of spent LWR fuel storage. [Comparison of reracking, new at-reactor storage facilities, and away-from-reactor storage facilities]
A low cost option for spent fuel inventories would be to ship excess fuel from the overburdened reactor to another reactor in the utility's system that has available space. The only cost would be for cask leasing and shipping. Three other alternatives all require considerable capital expenditures: reracking, new at-reactor (AR) storage facilities, and away-from-reactor (AFR) storage facilities. Fuel storage requirements will be met best by transfer of fuel or by re-racking existing reactor basins whenever these options are available. These alternatives represent not only the lowest cost storage options but also the most timely. Fuel can be shipped to other storage pools for about $10/kg depending on the distance, while costs for reracking range from $18 to 25/kg depending on the approach. These alternatives are recognized to face environmental and regulatory obstacles. However, such obstacles should be less severe than similar issues that would be encountered with AR or AFR basin storage. When storage requirements cannot be met by the first two options, the next least costly alternative for most utilities will be use of a Federal AFR. Storage cost of about $137/kg at an AFR are less costly than charges of up to $350/kg that could be incurred by the use of AR basins. AR basins are practical only when a utility requires storage capacity to accommodate annual additions of 100 MT or more of spent fuel. The large reactor complexes discharging this much feul are not currently those that require relief from fuel storage problems. A recent development in Germany may offer an AR alternative of dry storage in transportation/storage casks at a cost of $200/kg; however, this method has not yet been accepted and licensed for use in the US.
- Research Organization:
- Du Pont de Nemours (E.I.) and Co., Aiken, SC (USA). Savannah River Lab.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC09-76SR00001
- OSTI ID:
- 6495129
- Report Number(s):
- DP-MS-80-115; CONF-801165-1; ON: DE83009413
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: IAEA advisory group specialist meeting on spent fuel storage alternatives, Las Vegas, NV, USA, 17 Nov 1980
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Economics of spent LWR fuel storage
Economics of spent fuel storage options at reactor sites
Related Subjects
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
ECONOMICS
BWR TYPE REACTORS
COST
PWR TYPE REACTORS
STORAGE FACILITIES
REACTORS
STORAGE
WATER COOLED REACTORS
WATER MODERATED REACTORS
050900* - Nuclear Fuels- Transport
Handling
& Storage
210100 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Boiling Water Cooled
210200 - Power Reactors
Nonbreeding
Light-Water Moderated
Nonboiling Water Cooled
051000 - Nuclear Fuels- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects