4 Oct 2001 17:35 AR AR143-08-ma.tex AR143-08-ma.SGM ARv2(2001/05/10) P1: GJC Annu. Rev. Energy Environ. 2001. 26:201–35 Copyright c 2001 by Annual Reviews. All rights reserved INTERIM STORAGE OF SPENT FUEL IN THE UNITED STATES Allison Macfarlane Security Studies Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139; e-mail:
[email protected] Key Words irradiated fuel, nuclear energy, nuclear waste, dry casks ■ Abstract At nuclear power reactors around the United States, quantities of spent or irradiated nuclear fuel are growing while owner-operator companies await the ap- proval of a permanent storage facility. Some reactors have run out of space in their cooling pools and have had to resort to dry cask storage. The first half of this paper looks at the policy history of interim storage in the United States, discusses the current storage status at individual reactors, and then reviews the technologies available to deal with it. The second half of the paper considers the different options for dealing with this hazardous material in the interim, before a permanent high-level nuclear waste repos- itory is opened, and examines the safety, security, transportation, economic, political, and other issues that bear on the choice of option. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................202 2. POLICY BACKGROUND ............................................203 2.1. Legislative History ...............................................204 2.2. Private-Storage Options ...........................................206 2.3. Licensing Requirements ...........................................207 3. INTERIM-STORAGE POLICIES AND PLANS IN OTHER COUNTRIES ..............................................208 3.1. France .........................................................208 3.2. United Kingdom .................................................208 3.3. Germany .......................................................208 3.4. Sweden ........................................................209 3.5.