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Permanent storage remains unsolved in new push for nuclear energy

Permanent storage remains unsolved in new push for nuclear energy
MEDILL REPORTS by Fui Tsikata Nov 19, 2008 Applications for new nuclear reactors keep rolling into the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), but everyone seems to be ignoring the crucial question: where will used nuclear rods be stored permanently?

As nuclear companies continue to store nuclear waste on-site, environmentalists warn that without a permanent storage location, building more nuclear plants could be dangerous to the country’s security………………………Yucca mountain, 80 miles from Las Vegas, Nev., was identified years ago as a potential storage area for spent nuclear rods and other nuclear waste. Now, a decade after the repository was to open, it has been weighed down by controversy. Fear of volcanic activity in Yucca, lawsuits and other challenges considerably slowed down its development. Presently, the NRC has a three- to four-year time frame to complete geological analysis and assess the feasibility of Yucca mountain……………………………..There are no functioning permanent storage facilities anywhere in the world, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Finland has identified a site, which has public support but is still a few years away from being operational, according to Negin. France relies on “temporary” sites like one in Gorleben, a town in Northern German to store its nuclear waste.

Meanwhile, in the absence of any permanent storage, companies like Exelon store spent fuel rods on-site in large pools of water and in large containers known as dry casks. The U.S. Navy, whose nuclear ships generate spent rods, stores them in pools of water as well.

Permanent storage remains unsolved in new push for nuclear energy

November 19, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Uncategorized