Despite the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses role in waste disposal, the Department of Energy will still likely need one to two deep geological repositories for spent nuclear fuel, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB) said recently.
The NWTRB, in a July 24 letter to Assistant Secretary of Nuclear Energy Ted Garrish, discussed the nation’s unmet need for a repository for used fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The board cited lessons gleaned from a June meeting of several other countries, including Finland and Switzerland, pursuing deep disposal sites.
The board said a key lesson from the June 9 meeting was that DOE needs to “ensure sufficient disposal capacity to accommodate the nation’s existing and projected waste inventory,” according to the letter. NWTRB acknowledged DOE unveiled its Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus initiative in January to begin pursuing a potential disposal path.
DOE’s Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus is the Donald Trump administration’s effort to gauge states’ interest in hosting spent fuel storage and related facilities. Over half of the states responded to DOE’s inquiry and the administration announced five finalist states this week.
But while the Lifecycle Campuses might provide some help with disposal, NWTRB told Garrish the hubs still would not replace the need for one or two repositories. The board also cited the continuing need for a deep underground disposal site in a March 2025 letter to Congress.
The technical review board also advised DOE to temper its expectations on the benefits of potentially recycling spent fuel.
“The board’s evaluation documented that almost all existing spent nuclear fuel has no plausible pathway for reuse and precludes disposal in deep boreholes without expensive and dose-intensive waste treatment and/or repackaging,” according to the letter.
NWTRB continued, “The board therefore reiterates its March 2025 finding that one or more deep geologic repositories will be required to dispose of this inventory.”
In the letter, NWTRB Chair Peter Swift said it might be beneficial for DOE to “understand other countries’ experiences from the siting and development of deep geologic disposal facilities for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.”
Additionally, NWTRB said DOE should consider establishing plans early in the siting process to create smoother siting, licensing and implementation. In observing the other countries, the board said delaying important safety means, such as quality assurance and requirements management, could lead to “avoidable” delays.
“The board observes that recent DOE efforts, such as the January 2026 request for information that initiated the Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses program, have focused on the siting process for new radioactive waste management facilities, while DOE has given less attention to putting in place the organizational capacity, tools and procedures that DOE will need once it decides how to move forward,” NWTRB said.
The Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board was established through the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1987, to carry out “ independent technical and scientific peer review” of DOE’s plans for nuclear waste management and disposal. It reports its findings to Congress and the secretary of energy.