Program on Technology Innovation: Room at the Mountain

Projected expansion of nuclear power beyond the year 2014 will result in the need for commercial spent nuclear fuel (CSNF) management options in addition to the currently legislated CSNF storage capacity at the proposed Yucca Mountain geological repository. At present, 70,000 MTHM of storage capacity has been authorized, with a projection that 63,000 MTHM would be used for CSNF. This report extends preliminary analyses of the maximum physical capacity of the Yucca Mountain repository, presented in EPRI report 1013523. EPRI is confident that at least four times the current CSNF limit (~260,000 MTHM) and possibly upwards of nine times the limit (~570,000 MTHM) could be emplaced with additional site characterization.