Domestic and international nuclear waste management
- Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)
Passage of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act in 1982, and subsequent 1987 amendments, allowed Congress to establish the plan to manage the nation`s spent nuclear fuel and other high-level radioactive waste. The principal elements in the waste management system include waste acceptance, storage, disposal, and transportation. Interim storage of spent fuel is proposed to be in a Monitored Retrievable Storage facility. The Department has been relying on a voluntary siting processes for the temporary storage of spent fuel. A potential repository site is located at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Site characterizations are currently being conducted. Underground construction has started for the Exploratory Studies Facility; surface based activities, including drilling and trenching, are currently under way to acquire additional data. The United States is involved in cooperative studies with other countries. Most of these studies emphasize assessment of long-term performance. By participating in international activities, the United States has been involved in transfer of technological developments and information exchange. There are currently over 400 nuclear power reactors operating in 25 countries. Most countries producing electricity with nuclear power plan to dispose of the spent fuel within their own countries. This paper will provide the status of the US program in the storage and disposal of its nuclear waste.
- OSTI ID:
- 75812
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940650--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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