‘Used nuclear fuel is only waste if you waste it,’ the communications director at a recycling company says.
Empty nuclear waste shipping containers sit in front of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, N.M., on March 6, 2014.
“It wasn’t until just the past three or four years where we have this unique moment where there is strong bipartisan support for nuclear.” He said he plans to demonstrate proof of concept on existing nuclear waste by the end of next year, and if the legal and regulatory hurdles can be cleared, begin commercial nuclear recycling at scale in America within the next decade.
By the terms of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for the safe disposal of nuclear waste.
But new efforts to recycle nuclear waste in the United States, held up for decades by legal and regulatory hurdles, could resolve that issue and more if it is allowed to flourish.
The hearing covered topics such as the $10.6 billion that taxpayers have paid out to date to pay utilities for the failure of the DOE to honor its obligations to remove nuclear waste in accordance with the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.
Despite growing recognition that nuclear energy may be the most viable solution in America’s quest for reliable low-carbon electricity, the nuclear power industry is struggling to overcome major hurdles; among them, what to do with radioactive, spent fuel.
No comments:
Post a Comment