Considerations for Disposition of Dry Cask Storage System Materials at End of Storage System Life

摘要

If repackaging is required prior to SNF disposal, the disposition of the existing dry storage canister systems will pose significant challenges and costs to the waste management system.. The potential for a tenfold growth of the dry cask inventory over the lifetime of the current fleet of reactors (assuming no further development of nuclear power or no additional life extensions) necessitates consideration of the economics and practicalities of disposing recycling, or repurposing these dry storage canister systems. Limited options are available for the reuse or repurposing of the canisters and their overpacks. Furthermore, such reuse and repurposing is only a temporary solution for the management of these material as they will eventually need to be either recycled or disposed of. The recycling of the canisters and their overpack represents substantial challenges as the infrastructure necessary to process these materials is not yet in place. Additionally, the economics of such an endeavor have not been addressed. Nevertheless, should the economics of recycling these materials prove favorable, especially in light of the costs of disposal, this is an option that should be considered in further detail. The direct disposal of the dry storage cansitersemains the most straightforward option of managing these materials. The majority of the dry cask inventory is likely to be classified as LLW and suitable for shallow burial disposal. The cost of such disposal varies widely depending on both the size of the inventory and the disposal costs. The cost of the disposal of the current inventory of approximately 1850 dry storage canister systems varies between $130M and $653M, depending on the assumed disposal cost. The ultimate disposal of the approximately 11,000 dry canister systems estimated to be produced by the current fleet of nuclear reactors varies between $780M and $3.9B.