Current Progress on the Development of the Integrated Waste Management Consent-Based Siting Process in the United States

Abstract

Consent-based siting is an approach to siting facilities that prioritizes the participation and needs of people and communities and seeks their willing and informed consent to accept a project in their community. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is firmly committed to a consent-based approach to siting one or more spent nuclear fuel management facilities that enables meaningful and inclusive public participation, addresses community well-being and community needs, and centers equity and environmental justice as core values. At present, nuclear energy accounts for 19% of U.S. electricity production and half of the nation’s carbon-free energy. Nuclear energy is key to achieving the Nation’s goal of a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by the end of the decade, 100% clean electricity by 2035, and a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. Nuclear power will be key to achieving the Nation’s goals, as the United States strives to reduce carbon emissions; ensure energy independence; and maintain leadership in nuclear technology, safety, and security. However, the use of nuclear energy also requires an effective, integrated system for safely managing, storing, and permanently disposing of spent nuclear fuel. Since the 1950s, approximately 90 000 metric tons of heavy metal (MTHM) of spent nuclear fuel has been generated from commercial nuclear power generation in the United States. This inventory grows by approximately 2000 MTHM every year. This commercial spent nuclear fuel is currently safely and securely stored at over 70 sites in more than 30 states where it is enclosed in either steel-lined concrete pools of water or steel and concrete containers known as dry storage casks. The United States also has an inventory of noncommercial spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, which makes up less than 5% of the total inventory. Management of the Nation’s spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste is the responsibility of the DOE, under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended. This responsibility includes finding sites to store and eventually dispose of this material. Per Congressional direction, DOE’s current activities are focused on establishing a federal interim storage capability for commercial spent nuclear fuel following a consent-based approach. However, a permanent disposal solution for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste will still be needed. DOE will apply lessons learned from consent-based siting for one or more interim storage facilities to future siting efforts for other elements of an integrated nuclear waste management system. An integrated waste management system will include consolidated interim storage capacity, a permanent disposal pathway, and the transportation infrastructure needed to move spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from nuclear power plants to storage and disposal facilities. This paper describes DOE’s current progress to identify one or more sites to develop a federal consolidated interim storage capability for commercial spent nuclear fuel using a consent-based siting process.