What is nuclear waste?
Producing power with nuclear energy creates nuclear waste. The term, nuclear waste, typically refers to “spent” or “used” nuclear fuel. This is fuel that’s been used in a nuclear reactor for about five years and can no longer efficiently sustain a chain reaction. Despite being labeled as “waste,” used nuclear fuel still holds a significant amount of energy potential and could be recycled into fresh fuel for reactors.
How is nuclear waste managed?
In the United States, current nuclear reactors run on solid, ceramic fuel pellets made up of 3%-5% enriched uranium-235—the main fissile isotope that produces energy during a chain reaction. These fuel pellets are stacked vertically into closed metal tubes that are bundled together and placed inside the reactor.
Once nuclear fuel is considered “used,” it is removed from the reactor and placed in steel-lined concrete pools filled with water to cool. It takes about two to five years for the fuel to cool before it can be transferred to specially designed dry storage casks made of steel and concrete.
Who manages nuclear waste?
Currently, nuclear power plant operators manage and store used nuclear fuel on site. However, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is primarily responsible for overseeing the management of used nuclear fuel, including finding sites to store and eventually permanently dispose of the material.
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) plays a role in licensing and regulating all nuclear waste storage facilities. This includes used-fuel storage installations at reactor sites and facilities that manage low-level nuclear waste. Low-level nuclear waste includes items like safety glasses, shoe covers and gloves that are slightly radioactive. The NRC has formal agreements with some states, including Utah, that allow these states to regulate low-level radioactive materials within state lines.
At the Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control, we oversee the disposal of low-level radioactive waste within Utah as per the Part 274 of the Atomic Energy Act, Utah Radiation Control Act, Utah Administrative Rules, and applicable Radioactive Materials License Conditions. .
How is nuclear waste transported?
Nuclear waste can be transported by truck, train, plane or ship, but is primarily sent by way of truck or rail. Transporting nuclear waste requires special packaging that is thoroughly vetted and tested to ensure safety in the event of an accident during transport. Federal, state and local stakeholders work together to safely and securely transport nuclear waste. There are specific regulations for transporting nuclear waste to protect people and the environment. The U.S. Department of Transportation is primarily responsible for overseeing the safe and secure shipping of used nuclear fuel. They regulate shipping routes and specific transportation methods.
Where is nuclear waste stored?
All of the nation’s used nuclear fuel is safely and securely stored at the sites where it was generated, which is mostly at operating or retired commercial nuclear power installations. There are more than 70 sites in 35 states hosting used nuclear fuel. The material can be safely managed at these sites for the foreseeable future or until a permanent storage site is selected.
The Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for finding a permanent waste repository site for used nuclear fuel, but it is currently directed to identify interim storage sites to consolidate the waste. DOE is working through a collaboration-based siting process to identify willing, informed host states and communities to store used nuclear fuel.
FAQs
How much nuclear waste is there?
The U.S. generates about 2,000 metric tons of used fuel annually. That may sound like a lot, but we’ve been generating electricity with reactors for more than seventy years and only produced 90,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel. If you were to stack all the waste generated from commercial U.S nuclear reactors, excluding the dry cask storage containers, on a single football field it would not reach the 10-yard line.
Is nuclear waste a liquid? Can it seep out of the barrels into groundwater?
Nuclear fuel is a solid when it goes into a reactor, and a solid when it comes out, so it cannot leak like a liquid. Commercial used nuclear fuel in the U.S. is stored safely and securely in spent fuel pools or in steel and concrete casks at the sites where it was generated. These casks go through rigorous testing to make sure they are durable and can withstand the worst natural disasters. They are also routinely and carefully monitored.
Do we store nuclear waste in Utah?
Yes, Low-Level Radioactive waste is disposed of in Utah but not Used Nuclear Fuel or High Level Waste. Used nuclear fuel is classified as high-level radioactive waste. We disposed of Class A radioactive waste at the Energy Solutions facility in Clive, Utah. This is the lowest level of radioactive waste and includes items like gloves, safety glasses, shoe covers and medical waste such as syringes. Low-level radioactive waste is divided into four classes based on its level of radioactivity.
See the table below for more information on each class.
Can’t we just recycle used nuclear fuel?
The United States does not currently recycle used nuclear fuel, but other countries, such as France, do so using technology developed in the United States. Several U.S. companies are developing advanced reactors that run on used nuclear fuel, opening the potential to fully recycle used nuclear fuel and tap into additional clean energy potential. If the U.S. were to recycle used nuclear fuel, we could reduce the volume of waste requiring deep geologic disposal by as much as 75%. There are also several other benefits of recycling, including recovering critical isotopes for medical use.
Resources
Utah Office of Energy Development
- Nuclear Energy – Office of Energy Development Nuclear Energy
- Nuclear Fact Sheets (2) – Office of Energy Development
U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy
- Office of Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste Disposition | Department of Energy
- 5 Fast Facts about Spent Nuclear Fuel | Department of Energy
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Radioactive Waste | Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Agreement State Program | Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- Low-Level Waste Disposal | Nuclear Regulatory Commission