Evaluation of the Technical Basis for Extended Dry Storage and Transportation of Used Nuclear Fuel – Executive Summary
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The U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (Board) is tasked by the amendments to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 to independently evaluate U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) technical activities for managing and disposing of used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. This report was prepared to inform DOE and Congress about the current state of the technical basis for extended dry storage1 of used fuel and its transportation following storage. The Board expects that the report also will be valuable in informing the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future and other interested parties on these issues.
When the used nuclear fuel that is currently stored at commercial nuclear power plant sites will be transported to other locations is not known. Understanding the length of time that used fuel can be stored without the fuel or the storage system components degrading to the extent that the ability to meet the regulatory requirements for continued storage is affected is a primary concern. In addition, understanding how the condition of the used fuel changes with time is important to determining when this may affect the ability to transport the fuel without significant risk of damage or release of radioactive materials. Finally, being able to predict confidently how used fuel will behave when handled after transportation to a repository or a processing facility also is necessary.
This report presents the results of a review of publicly available literature and published information on research completed to date related to extended storage and transportation of used fuel. The Board reports these results without challenging the technical findings of researchers but believes that they form a suitable basis for the evaluation presented here. In addition, regulatory authority, National Laboratory, and industry experts have been consulted to confirm the current state of knowledge and the research and development recommendations to enhance confidence in extended storage included in this report.
