Centralized Interim Storage and a National Interim Storage Strategy

Robert PetroskiANS – WISEAugust 1, 2005

Nuclear Power

• 103 operating reactors supply 20% of the nation’s electricity

• Emissions free• Secure fuel supply• Part of the nation’s

energy policy• Facing potential

future expansion

Spent nuclear fuel

• Nuclear power’s waste product

• Is highly radioactive for long lifetimes

• Plans for disposal exist, but no facility

• Significant public concerns

• Must be properly managed before disposal

About Interim Storage

• The storage of spent nuclear fuel between its leaving a reactor and its disposal

• Main function is shielding• Has two basic configurations

– Spent fuel pools– Dry casks

• Currently almost exclusively at reactor sites

• A necessary part of the nuclear fuel cycle

Centralized Interim Storage

• One or more large, independent dry storage facilities

• Accepts fuel from multiple reactors

• Requires transportation of spent fuel

• Currently being considered by industry and Congress

Safety of Interim Storage

During regular storage:• Dry cask storage is environmentally benign• Thick shielding makes radioactivity harmless to

human healthDuring accidents and natural disasters:• Extremely heavy cask construction makes release

of radioactive material extremely unlikely• Can safely withstand earthquakes, tornados,

floods, fires, and lightningThe NRC has stated that dry cask storage remains

safe for at least one hundred years

Safety of Transportation

• Centralized interim storage is as safe as at-reactor storage

• Transportation adds a very slight risk• Expected health impact of radiation, including

accidents, is less than that of vehicle emissions

• Also a necessary part of the nuclear fuel cycle

Security of Interim Storage

• Difficult to disperse radioactive material due to:– Extremely heavy cask construction– Solid form of spent fuel

• Storage facilities are highly secured• Theft risk low due to material properties• No difference between centralized and at-reactor

interim storage• Above holds for transportation

– Transportation cask likened to an armored vehicle– Transports are tracked and escorted– Transportation sabotage is the primary risk

Economics of Interim Storage

• Economies of scale benefit centralized interim storage

• Economic benefits of using centralized interim storage are on a case-by-case basis– Extra cost to move spent fuel already in dry storage– Possible savings from spent fuel still in pools

• Depends on transportation cost

– Likely savings from spent fuel at shutdown or near-shutdown sites

• Centralized storage reduces costs of disposal– Can make moving spent fuel from pools economical

Benefits of Centralized Interim Storage

• Primarily economic– Lower overall system cost– Less economic uncertainty

• Creates flexibility and reliability– May prevent premature plant closures

• Establishes standards and infrastructure – Cask design and handling equipment– Transportation equipment

Private Fuel Storage

• A consortium of eight nuclear utilities• Have proposed a centralized interim

storage facility– To be located on the Skull Valley Goshute Indian

Reservation in Utah– At the end of an eight year licensing process

• Would yield the outlined benefits• Sufficient to service the existing reactor fleet• Likely to encounter resistance after licensing

– State opposition– Public opposition to transportation

Private Fuel Storage

Federal Interest

• Reduced system costs– Potentially lower liability to utilities– Reduced disposal costs– Lower price for nuclear electricity

• Federal site demonstrates commitment to manage spent fuel

• Allows unhurried consideration of future spent fuel options– Additional repositories, repository capacity– Reprocessing– Other disposal systems

Near-term Recommendations

• Support the proposed PFS site– PFS facility yields centralized interim storage benefits– Unlikely to create a similar or better federal site in the

same timeframe

• Partially subsidize transportation costs to PFS– System cost reduction is not seen by utilities– Savings during disposal should offset upfront cost

• Facilitate transportation

Long-term Recommendations

• Institute an optimal interim storage infrastructure to service future nuclear reactors– Create one or a few centralized interim storage sites– Standardize spent fuel containers and handling

equipment– Begin looking for a site

• Guarantee acceptance of spent nuclear fuel

• Utilities should ultimately bear the cost– Won’t increase nuclear electricity prices

Implementation challenges

• Finding a willing site– Likely require state support via state incentives– Site selection should begin now

• Policy barriers– Unlink interim storage from Yucca Mountain– Obtaining legislative support

• Transportation opposition– Acknowledge risk– Risk management instead of risk avoidance

Conclusions

• Interim storage is a necessity, so it should be done in the best manner possible

• Using centralized storage benefits– The public: cheaper, more secure energy– Utilities: less economic uncertainty– Government: allows for better decision

making regarding disposal

Questions or Comments?

• Thank you for attending the 2005 WISE internship presentations

• Thanks to everyone who helped make this project a success

• Thanks to my fellow interns and everyone else who makes the WISE program run