Reprocessing decision. [Evaluation of permit, delay, or prohibit options]

Journal Article · Fri Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1978 · EPRI J.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6762813

Heising, C D

The United States must decide whether to permit, delay, or prohibit the reprocessing and recycling of nuclear spent fuel. To permit reprocessing would allow recycle as early as 1985; to delay the decision for a later administration to deal with means spent fuel would mount up at nuclear reactor sites; to prohibit would eliminate recycling and mandate permanent storage. Bayesian decision analysis was used to examine reprocessing costs associated with risks and economic benefits. Three distinct categories of risk that are important in the nuclear fuel cycle are discussed. These are: health, environment, and safety risks; nuclear theft and sabotage; and nuclear weapons proliferation risks. Results are discussed from comparing nine routes to weapons-usuable mterial available to nonweapons states that desire a nuclear capability. These are: production reactor and military reporcessor; research reacotr and military reprocessor; power plant plus military reprocessor or commercial reprocessor; enrichment (centrifuge, gaseous diffusion, electromagnetic separation, or aerodynamic jet cascade); and accelerator. It was found that the commercial power reactor-commercial reprocessor route is comparatively unattractive to a nonweapons state. In summary, allowing nuclear fuel reprocessing to go forward in the United States can be expected to increase the costs to society by a maximum $360 million a year. This is approximately one-seventh of the expected benefit (reduced electricity bills) to be dderived by society from closing the fuel cycle. It appears that the permitting reprocessing now is logically preferable to delaying or prohibiting the technology, the author concludes. (MCW)

• OSTI ID: 6762813
• Journal Information: EPRI J.; (United States), Journal Name: EPRI J.; (United States) Vol. 3:10; ISSN EPRJD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050800 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Spent Fuels Reprocessing
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290600* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
DECISION MAKING
ENERGY
ENERGY POLICY
GLOBAL ASPECTS
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
NORTH AMERICA
NUCLEAR ENERGY
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
PROLIFERATION
RECYCLING
REPROCESSING
RISK ASSESSMENT
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPENT FUEL STORAGE
USA
WEAPONS