MANAGEMENT OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL AND ITS WASTE

A report has been prepared jointly by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC), which aims to inform policy makers on important issues to take into consideration in developing national programmes for the future management of spent fuel and the waste generated by fuel treatment. The report describes the options for spent fuel management, their present state of development, and the consequences of choices between them, as well as important issues for national programmes to take into consideration in order to implement Directive 2011/70/EURATOM. The report discusses in a synthetic way: - the need for a national policy; - the fuel cycles to consider; - the decision factors in fuel cycle choice; - experience with the involvement of stakeholders in decision-making; and - the key decisions to be taken and their consequences. To inform preparation of the report, a seminar was held in February 2013 to get the views of an international group of experts on the challenges associated with different strategies to manage spent nuclear fuel, in respect of both open cycles and various steps towards closing the nuclear fuel cycle. The report integrates the conclusions of the seminar, which considered issues of sustainability, non-proliferation, safety, organisational and economic factors, and public involvement.JRC.A.4-Nuclear Safety and Securit