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Nuclear Waste

Nuclear Waste

Brian O’ConnellNARUC Nuclear Waste Program Office

Kansas Corporation CommissionTopeka February 2008

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Intended Outline

• State interests in nuclear waste• Nuclear Waste Policy Act• Status of the Nuclear Waste Fund

– Warning: May stir feelings of outrage

• Yucca Mountain repository• Transportation of spent nuclear fuel• Legislation• A little bit on reprocessing

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Nuclear Gets a Fresh Look

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Nuclear Self-DeceptionPresidential Division

“ Resolving civilian waste management problems shall not be deferred to future generations.”

-- President Jimmy Carter

1980

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State Interestsin Nuclear WasteState Interests

in Nuclear Waste• Health, safety• Transportation• Environment

EnvironmentFinancial

Power

supply

•Financial•Power supply

P

U

CTrans

Health, Safety

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The Nuclear Waste Policy ActThe Nuclear Waste Policy Act

• The Federal Government is responsible for nuclear waste disposal

• Those who benefit shall pay for disposal

• Disposal (was) to begin in 1998

• The Federal Government is responsible for nuclear waste disposal

• Those who benefit shall pay for disposal

• Disposal (was) to begin in 1998

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"The costs of disposal should be the responsibility of the generators ... of waste and spent fuel"

-- Nuclear Waste Policy Act

• Program funding derives from two sources: Nuclear Waste Fund and Defense Nuclear Waste Disposal Appropriation

• The realities of the Federal budget process have limited the Program's access to the Nuclear Waste Fund

• Funding over the last 8 years has been over $1 billion less than requested

• If the site is licensed, outyear funding needs to design, construct, and operation

a repository will increase significantly

Cost and Funding Overview

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Current State of the Nuclear Waste Program

Current State of the Nuclear Waste Program

• The Federal Government has our money

• We have their waste

• The Federal Government has our money

• We have their waste

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Current State of the Nuclear Waste Program

Current State of the Nuclear Waste Program

• The Federal Government has our money

• We have their waste

Commissioner Mike Wilson, FL PSC 1991

• The Federal Government has our money

• We have their waste

Commissioner Mike Wilson, FL PSC 1991

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Nuclear Issues are Political Issues

“Any decision about the management of nuclear wastes must be made in the cauldron of intense public controversy.”

- Dr. Richard Meserve Former ChairmanNuclear Regulatory Commission

November 2000

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Current Locations Of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste

Commercial SNF Dry Storage (On-Site)

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Nuclear Materials Destined for Geologic Disposal

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0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

90000

100000

110000

120000

130000

140000

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

Year

Cum

ula

tive D

ischarg

ed S

pent Fu

el (

MTH

M)

Historical and Projected Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Discharges

Sources: * Based on actual discharge data as reported on RW-859’s through 12/31/02, and projected discharges, in this case, based on 104 license renewals.

** Represents the aggregate industry pool capacity based on pool capacities provided in 2002 RW-859 (less FCR) and supplemented by utility storage plans. However, the industry is not one big pool and

storage situations at individual sites differ based on pool capacities versus discharges into specific pools.As of May 14, 2007Discharge Curves 051407.ppt

Actual Discharges*, all reactors (operating & shutdown)

Projected discharges, all reactors, 48 license renewals

Projected discharges*, all reactors, 104 license renewalsActual discharges, shutdown reactors only

Actual MTHM in dry storage, all reactors

There are 104 operating reactors and 14 shutdown reactors

~ 9,500 MTHM in dry storage (as of 5/14/07)

~ 3,800 MTHM from14 shutdown reactors

Current Inventory: ~ 55,700 MTHM from118 reactors (as of 12/06)

Current pool capacity ~ 61,000 MTHM**

Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982

2055

~110,000MTHM total

~130,000MTHM total

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Original

Plan

Fresh from reactor ~20 MT/yr

Cooling

Pools

Next stage Reprocessing

Reprocessing To be done on commercial basis

Final Disposition To be determined

Spent Fuel Management and Disposition

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Original

Plan

Nuclear Waste

Policy Act 1982

Fresh from reactor ~20 MT/yr

Cooling

Pools

Cooling

Pools

Next stage Reprocessing Begin disposal in 1998 based on oldest first

Reprocessing To be done on commercial basis

Policy decision to not reprocess 1977

Final Disposition To be determined

Geologic

Repositories

Spent Fuel Management and Disposition

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Original

Plan

Nuclear Waste

Policy Act 1982

Present

Reality

Fresh from reactor ~20 MT/yr

Cooling

Pools

Cooling

Pools

Pools expanded and at capacity

Next stage Reprocessing Begin disposal in 1998 based on oldest first

Dry cask storage and litigation

Reprocessing To be done on commercial basis

Policy decision to not reprocess 1977

Being reconsidered

Final Disposition To be determined

Geologic

Repositories

Repository

Stalemate

Spent Fuel Management and Disposition

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Why Yucca Mountain?

Why Yucca Mountain?Why Yucca Mountain?

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Why Yucca Mountain?

– Located on the Nevada Test Located on the Nevada Test Site, a Department of Energy Site, a Department of Energy facility, where over 800 facility, where over 800 nuclear weapons tests have nuclear weapons tests have occurredoccurred

– Far from major population Far from major population centers -- 100 miles centers -- 100 miles northwest of Las Vegasnorthwest of Las Vegas

– Located in a closed Located in a closed hydrologic basinhydrologic basin

•Natural features that suggest it Natural features that suggest it may be a suitable site:may be a suitable site:

–Arid climateArid climate

–Extremely deep water tableExtremely deep water table

–Relative stability over the past Relative stability over the past million yearsmillion years

•Remote and Remote and controlledcontrolled location location

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Repository Reference Design Concept

Repository Concept

N

Waste Handling Building

Waste TreatmentBuilding

TransporterMaintenance

Building

Surface Layout Waste Receiving

North Portal Entrance

Alcove #1

Enhanced Characterization Repository Block Drift

Subsurface LayoutWaste Emplacement

To accommodate 70,000 metric tons, the proposed repository would include

approximately 36 miles of tunnels which would hold approximately 10,000 waste packages.

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Reference Waste Package Design Concept

Inner Shell Lid (316 NG)

Lower Trunnion Collar Sleeve(Alloy 22)

Inner Shell Support Ring(Alloy 22)

Outer Shell(Alloy 22)

Inner Shell(316 NG)

Basket Assembly

Inner Shell Lid(316 NG)

Outer Shell Extended Closure Lid (Alloy 22)

Inner Shell Lid Lifting Feature (316 NG)

Outer Shell Lid Lifting Feature (Alloy 22)

Outer Shell Lid Lifting Feature(Alloy 22)

Upper Trunnion Collar Sleeve(Alloy 22)

Outer ShellFlat Closure Lid(Alloy 22) Trunnion Collar

21-PWR Waste Package AssemblyConfiguration

Outer Shell Flat Lid(Alloy 22)

Waste packages contain canisters of defense high-level waste, commercial and DOE spent nuclear fuel, and dispositioned surplus plutonium.

21-PWR commercial SNF waste package

Emplacement drift segment

Co-Disposal Waste PackageOuter Barrier

Inner Barrier

DOE SNF Canister

Vitrified HLW Canisters

Note: Engineering enhancements underway.

Co-Disposal Waste Package

Immobilized plutonium and

high-level waste canister

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Design Must Demonstrate Compliance to Strict Radiation

Protection Standards

Preliminary Base Case

Time (years)1000 10000 100000

Do

se Ra

te (mrem

/yr)

10-3

10-2

10-1

100

101

102

103

104

This information was prepared for illustrative purposes only and is subject to revision; not appropriate for assessing regulatory compliance.

95th PercentileMeanMedian5th Percentile

Proposed ComplianceTimeframe = 10,000 years 15 mrem Proposed Individual

Protection Standard

360 mrem Average U.S. Individual Exposure

Common Sources of Radiation Exposure

150 mrem Cosmic Radiation in Denver

10 mrem One Chest X-Ray

5 mrem N.Y. to L.A. Flight

7 mrem Exposure from Living in a Brick House

4 mrem EPA Groundwater Policy (equivalent to eating a banana a day for a year).

80 mrem Exposure from Working in Capitol

110 mrem CAT Scan

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Spent Fuel Transportation• Excellent safety record

• Public anxiety nonetheless

• WIPP helped establish cooperative planning and coordination w/ States

• Yucca would start no sooner than 2017 and continue 24 yrs

• Yucca would include emergency response training and $ CSGMW

• Balance public info & security

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Nuclear Waste Legislation• Not a good track record

• S. 2589/H.R. 5360– Land withdrawal for the site– Lift the 70,000 MT statutory cap– Reform the NWF appropriation process– Provide licensing, transportation and

other regulatory improvements

• Inhofe Multi-stage Licensing (S. 2551)

• Reid “take title” proposal (S. 784)

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Nuclear Waste Fund Balance (in millions of dollars, based on FY 2009 Budget)

Balance at start of year $21,542

Receipts

Fee payments from utilities 764

Earnings on “investments” 1,173

Total receipts and collections 1,937

Appropriations from NWF for Yucca 247 (32 pct of fees paid)

Other related salaries and expenses 41

Balance at end of year $ 23,191

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Why NWF Reform is Needed• Projected fee revenue $750 M

• FY 2008 appropriation 187 M*

• “Line loss” 563 M

The balance is credited to the NWF but in reality is either gone (spent) or inaccessible

* Defense adds $199M for total $387M in FY 2008

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HLW Options and Possibilities*

*AFCI-2005

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Reprocessing Basics• Banned in U.S. by Ford, Carter

• Done in UK, RU, FR, JA

• Present methods separate plutonium

• Economics not apparent, $ of U↑

• Decades away in US

• Likely siting and transport concerns

• Requires different waste storage

• Still need at least one repository

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New Nuclear Plant Storage• NWPA still applies

– New Standard Contract needed– Fee for power sold still required

• COL will require a spent fuel management plan

• Likely to have more pool capacity

• Some utilities consider lack of disposal a dealbreaker; others don’t

• Reprocessing still a question

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For More Information

• NARUC– Brian O’Connell 202-898-2215 boconnell@naruc.org– www.naruc.org

• DOE– www.rw.doe.gov www.ymp.gov– www.gnep.energy.gov

• NRC– www.nrc.gov

• NEI– www.nei.org

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Questions