Clean Energy Insight - Moving Energy Forward

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Radioactive waste comes mainly from nuclear power generation, (plants, operations in the fuel cycle, R&D centers), and is managed in a very rigorous, controlled industry that serves to protects humans and the environment. It maintains high-level oversight from operators, regulatory agencies and governments.

Waste management includes collection, sorting, processing, packaging, transport, storage and disposal. Since the United States does not currently recycle nuclear waste, the issue of waste management, in particular waste storage, is a sensitive issue.

Currently, the idea of using the Yucca Mountain repository as a nuclear waste storage site has been rejected by the Obama administration. Despite the fact that over 20 years of research and BILLIONS of dollars have been put into the project. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has since then been determined to appoint a panel to best determine the future of nuclear waste.

The Department of Energy will soon be announcing their Nuclear Waste Panel, a group of individuals who will study the best possible way to deal with growing civilian nuclear waste. This panel is created based on the Federal Advisory Committee Act, a law that is designed to ensure the panel is balanced with objective representation of each policy option.

Does it make sense for nuclear waste to be stored on-site at numerous locations throughout the country, or at one central location? Does it make sense for all 104 nuclear power plants to hire extra security on-site at nuclear plants or to have advanced security at one location for all of the stored nuclear waste? And in a place that scientists around the world agree to be a safe and efficient location, based on natural barriers, design elements?

If we can’t store nuclear waste somewhere, what are our other options? Since we live in a world obsessed with the three R’s, reduce, reuse and recycle, perhaps this panel will entertain the idea of recycling nuclear waste.

The French have been recycling nuclear waste for decades, and France’s LA Hague plant is an example of how much waste can be recycled and reused. The plant recycles 96% of used fuel, which leaves 4% categorized as waste. This industrial scale recycling process is proven as an effective approach to waste management, one that the United States could benefit from.

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We need to solve the problem with nuclear waste.  As we all know nuclear fuel is recyclable with only 4% of each fuel assembly being actual waste that can’t be re-used and the other 96% can be recycled and used again.  As the government technically owns the fuel it also owns the problem of disposal, and the government must provide the solution.  The problem is that we know who runs the government and their ability to make a coherent, timely, or realistic solution.  I’m not sure how many blue ribbon panels will be formed to study this issue before they come to a recommended solution that will likely not be followed.

In brief, here is the real solution:

One, we recycle the fuel at one centralized or two regional locations.  The fuel is re-used and then re-cycled again as many times as technology allows.

Two, we store the unusable waste at the Yucca Mountain site that has been selected and is in the process of being licensed.  The design of the facility would not need to be modified nor would the license require any serious amendment.  The capacity problem that would have previously come up with Yucca Mountain would go away with fuel recycling, as the amount of waste would be much less.  The site could be used to store the waste for many decades or even centuries before it would be filled up.  Also, with the current construction schedule, the first batch of waste would probably be ready a little after Yucca would be ready to receive it.

And that’s it.  Any blue ribbon panel members out there feel free to copy this solution.

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“All the waste in a year from a nuclear power plant can be stored under a desk.”

- Ronald Reagan, US President

Imagine that the federal government forced everyone to use only 4% of the gasoline in their tanks and pour the other 96% down the drain.  This is exactly what the United States federal government is doing with nuclear power.  Only 4% of nuclear fuel is considered waste after being used in a reactor once-through.  The rest can be recycled and used again many times, reducing the volume of waste that exists after the fuel is exhausted.  I think that it’s important for everyone to know that while a handful of American politicians are going around telling everyone that nuclear fuel recycling is a science that “isn’t proven,” the French, Japanese and British have been recycling for decades.

The French-based company AREVA has been recycling nuclear fuel at their La Hague facility for over 30 years.  AREVA recently posted a video on their blog documenting and explaining their proven recycling activities at the La Hague facility.  Enjoy.

“Here’s an informative video that takes you inside the world’s #1 facility for reprocessing used nuclear fuel. The AREVA La Hague industrial complex, located just west of Cherbourg, has recycled more than 21,000 tons of used fuel since its inception, reducing the need for natural uranium and the amount of radioactive waste.”

( By Carrington Dillon ) [Approx. Read Time: 3.5 minutes]

With all the attention that yesterday’s meeting between President Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev received, I thought that it was necessary to raise awareness of the “Megatons to Megawatts” program that turns former Russian nuclear warheads into nuclear energy fuel.  This program wasn’t mentioned a single time in yesterday’s negotiation announcements.  This is especially a shame since the “Megatons to Megawatts” program is such a great program that largely goes unnoticed on a public stage.

From the negotiations between the two countries came one agreement to negotiate, by the year’s end, a reduction in one another’s nuclear weapon arsenals.  I felt that this may have left some people wondering, “where do these weapons go?”

I only recently learned of this private program that, at no cost to taxpayers, turns nuclear weapons into nuclear energy fuel.  You may have heard of the phrase “10% of American lightbulbs are powered by a former Russian nuclear warhead.”  Thanks to the “Megatons to Megawatts” program, that is true.

The goal of the program is to recycle 20,000 Russian nuclear warheads into nuclear energy fuel by 2013.  As of June 30th, 2009, 14,686 Russian nuclear warheads have been eliminated and turned into nuclear fuel.  Another relevant statistic from this program is that 367 metric tons of weapons-grade uranium has been recycled into 10,621 metric tons of nuclear energy fuel–a testament to the importance and effectiveness of this program.

With the recent and upcoming agreements between the Russian and American governments to reduce their nuclear weapon stockpiles, hopefully, this program will be expanded and brought to light on a larger stage.

You can learn more about the program here: http://www.usec.com/megatonstomegawatts.htm