NRC Chair and NEA Director Urge Geologic Disposal of SNF

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Allison Macfarlane and former-NRC Commissioner William Magwood yesterday called on nations to make better progress at building geologic repositories for the spent nuclear fuel from nuclear reactors, in comments during a Radioactive Waste Management panel held at the International Atomic Energy Agency General Meeting in Vienna. Both warned that although spent nuclear fuel can be stored in dry cask storage, nations should not be satisfied with that result. A geologic repository is needed to safely dispose of the waste, Macfarlane said. “To those countries who are considering going into nuclear power, you’re in some ways the best position,” Macfarlane said. “You can learn from our mistakes. But, it’s really important, I think, to get it right from the beginning. Before you develop and turn on your reactor, you need a plan for how you are going to manage and dispose of this material. If you have that plan in place, you are going to save a lot of money, a lot of time, and a lot of stress.”

 

Magwood, who now serves as Director General of OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, added, “I think that is the most important aspect of this: to recognize that these materials especially in the case of direct disposal, will be hazardous for tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of years. As we prepare to past those on to future generations, we need to make sure we did the best we can and deal with the challenges instead of passing them on to future generations.”