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The Growing Problem of
Nuclear Waste
As nuclear power generation continues to provide a large percentage of the
world’s energy needs, the issue of nuclear waste storage has become an
increasingly pressing problem. Countries that utilize nuclear power have been
generating radioactive waste for decades, and the total volumes continue rising
every year with the ongoing operation of nuclear reactors. Currently there is
over 250,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel being stored worldwide, and that number
is projected to double over the next few decades if nuclear energy maintains
its current level of usage. The longest-lived radioactive components of spent
fuel will remain hazardous to humans and the environment for hundreds of
thousands of years. Finding secure, long-term storage solutions for this
growing stockpile of nuclear waste is one of the biggest challenges facing the
nuclear industry.
Short-Term Storage is not a Long-Term
Solution
Most nuclear waste produced today is stored on an interim basis at the nuclear
power plant sites where it was generated. Spent fuel pools and dry cask storage
are utilized to safely cool and isolate radioactive materials for periods of
50-100 years. However, these are intended as temporary measures and not viewed
as permanent solutions according to international policies and guidelines.
Leaving nuclear waste in these short-term above-ground facilities indefinitely
poses proliferation, terrorism and environmental risks that become more serious
over time. Transportation of waste between storage locations also carries
safety and security risks. The scientific consensus is that deep geological
disposal is required to safely isolate radioactive materials from the biosphere
for the hundreds of thousands of years required. But progress toward ratifying
and implementing permanent solutions has been slow in most countries.
Scientific and Social Challenges of
Permanent Storage
Developing geological repositories that can provide safe, long-term isolation
of nuclear waste poses immense technical challenges. Suitable sites must be
found with stable rock formations deep underground where the waste can be
securely contained and isolated for extremely long periods of time. Complex
engineering designs and construction are required to ensure radioactive
materials do not migrate from the disposal zones. There are also considerable
social and political obstacles to overcome. Finding communities willing to host
nuclear waste facilities has proven difficult around the world due to public
opposition over perceived health, environmental and social impacts. Extensive
research, testing, licensing and oversight procedures are required to
reasonably assure long-term safety. Scientific uncertainties and reassurance of
regulators and stakeholders make progress toward implementation inherently
lengthy and complicated.
Nuclear Waste Management: International
Successes and Remaining Gaps
A few countries have made progress toward establishing geological repositories
for high-level Nuclear
Waste Management.
Finland recently completed construction of the Onkalo spent nuclear fuel
repository located at a depth of over 400 meters under the bedrock of Olkiluoto
Island. Waste emplacement is planned to begin in the 2020s pending licensing.
Sweden also has an operational deep geological repository, the Forsmark
facility which started receiving low and intermediate level waste in 1988. In
the United States, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico has been
operating since 1999 for disposal of defense-related transuranic radioactive
waste generated through decades of nuclear weapons research and production.
However, most nuclear nations including the USA still have no operating
repositories for commercial spent fuel. The planned Yucca Mountain facility in
Nevada has been stalled for decades due to technical issues, budget cuts and
local opposition. Countries like the UK, Russia, China and South Korea are
still conducting site characterization and demonstration programs with the goal
of selecting sites and beginning construction in the coming years or decades.
Canada and other nations remain in the long process of siting and study.
Significant uncertainties remain around timing, costs and public acceptance.
Secure solutions for all types of radioactive materials, including separated
plutonium stockpiles, also remain to be implemented in full.
Nuclear Waste Management: International
Cooperation and Multinational Repositories
Considering the massive scientific, engineering and financial resources
required to develop geological disposal facilities, some experts and
policymakers have advocated expanding international cooperation and developing
shared repository solutions between multiple nuclear nations. A few countries
including Finland, Sweden and Switzerland have expressed willingness to
potentially accept limited amounts of foreign waste in their planned domestic
repositories if agreements can be reached. Some benefits could include greater
economies of scale, flexibility and resilience through a more distributed
approach. However, substantial political and logistical challenges would need
to be overcome including waste acceptance criteria, transportation routes,
liability arrangements and public acceptance in host nations.
Overall, safely managing the growing volumes of Nuclear Waste Management Overview represents one of the most
complex and long-term societal responsibilities. While considerable progress
has been achieved scientifically and in some demonstration projects, the lack
of ratified permanent geological repositories operating at commercial scale in
most nuclear nations means vulnerabilities remain for decades to come.
Increased international cooperation may help address some challenges, but
individual countries also urgently need to advance scientific study, siting
processes and solutions tailored to their domestic circumstances and waste
inventories to assure long-term isolation of radioactive materials. Continued
progress on all fronts will be needed to achieve a sustainable nuclear waste
management strategy worldwide.
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About Author:
Ravina Pandya, Content
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