Closing the Nuclear Fuel-Cycle and Moving Toward a Sustainable Energy Development Jor-Shan Choi* Lawrence Livermore National

XA9744512 IAEA-SM-346/37p

Closing the Nuclear Fuel-Cycle and Moving toward a Sustainable Energy Development

Jor-Shan Choi* Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Science Fellow, 1995-96 Center for International Security and Arms Control (CISAC), Stanford University, CA 94305-6165

Abstract

Closing the nuclear fuel cycle Recent studies1'2 on geologically-stored radioactive wastes revealed that Np-237 and Pa-231(a decay daughter of U-235 and Pu-239), together with the long-lived fission products (1-129, Tc-99, and Cs-135) are dominant contributors to long-term health hazards to future humans. Direct- disposal of weapons-material and fissile containing spent nuclear fuel could potentially lead to underground nuclear accidents3 if groundwater leaks into degraded containers holding such materials. The understanding of these health and safety concerns in a direct-dispoal cycle has resulted in a renewed interest of spent-fuel reprocessing and recycling where fissile materials and actinides are separated for recycle, and selected long-lived radionuclides could be preferentially treated before disposal to minimize long-term risks. Many advanced nuclear countries, Japan and France, in particular, close their nuclear fuel cycle by including fuel-reprocessing and recycling. The United States, concerned first about nuclear proliferation and safeguards and security of separated fissile materials, and later on fuel-reprocessing economics, has discouraged the use of fuel-reprocessing since the late 70s. With the end of the Cold War and the passage of the permanent extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, it is suggested that the need for closing the nuclear fuel cycle should be re-assessed. This would include the evaluation of the economics of fuel-reprocessing, the advanced separation technology and transmutation systems, the foreign- policy implications and influence to other countries, as well as the regional/international control and monitoring of spent nuclear fuel and separated fissile materials. Moving toward a sustainable global energy development The capacity of the global environment to support human needs and the optimum utilization of limited natural resources are important factors for a sustainable global ecology. The uneven distribution and the exploitation of these resources have been the main causes for many historical conflicts and irreversible environmental damage. To satisfy the increasing needs of a growing world population without continuing the degradation of an already exploited environment and provoking unnecessary conflict due to contest for limited resources, a sustainable energy supply together with new material development and technological system are essential. Nuclear energy, once deemed as a cheap, abundant and environmentally benign energy source, has been plagued by waste-disposal problems, safeguards and proliferation concerns* safety issues, and

This work is an independent research study by the author and may not reflect the views of his affiliation.

97 expensive capital costs. To overcome these barriers to global nuclear energy development, it is proposed here a regional compact framework which would: • Waste Disposal - provide a regional spent-fuel storage facility and waste repository located in a host country for spent-fuel and waste generated by regional countries. • Proliferation Resistance - establish regional nuclear material control regimes where separated special nuclear material (SNM) is strictly controlled and assured of peaceful usage. The SNM would be monitored by regional personnel, and supplemented by IAEA's safeguards and security program. • Nuclear Safety - implement a safety culture and regulate regional nuclear power stations with internationally accepted safety standards and requirements. • Economic Cooperation - promote regional economic cooperation with reliable, economical and environmentally-sound nuclear energy supply. A sustainable global ecology could be constructed on a strong nuclear energy foundation built around the regional-compact framework where radioactive-wastes are managed, nuclear- proliferation is resisted, nuclear facilities are safely operated, and regional economic cooperation is promoted.

Reference:

1. T.H. Pigford, The Yucca Mountain Standard: Proposals for Leniency," Proceedings of the materials Research Society: V. Scientific Basis for Nuclear Waste Management, Nov.. 1995.

2. R. W. Andrews, eL aL, "Total System Performance Assessment - An Evaluation of the Potential Yucca Mountain Repository," Intera. Inc., Las Vegas, Neveda, 1994.

3. C. D. Bowman and F. Venneri, "Autocatalytic Criticality from Plutonium and Other Fissile Material." Report LA-UR-94-4022. Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1995.