Management of Commercially Generated Radioactive Waste
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| doe_final_eis_1980_s.pdf (33.07 MB) | 33.07 MB |
In the course of producing electrical power in light water.reactors (LWRs), the uranium
fuel accumulates fission products until the fission process is no longer efficient for power
production. At that point the fuel is removed from the reactor and stored in water basins
to allow radioactivity to partially decay before further disposition. This fuel is referred
to as "spent fuel." Although spent fuel as At is discharged from a reactor is intensely
radioactive, it has been stored safely in moderate quantities for decades. Spent fuel could
be reprocessed, and about 99.5% of the remaining uranium and newly formed plutonium. could be
recovered for reuse. However, present policy dictates that spent LWR fuel reprocessing will
be indefinitely deferred because of concern that widespread separation of plutonium could
lead to proliferation of nuclear weapons. As a result, spent fuel is currently stored for
possible future reprocessing or disposal. Storage or disposal must be designed so that
nuclear waste will not be a present or future threat to public health and safety.
