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The Yucca Mountain Repository for Nuclear Waste

The Yucca Mountain Repository for Nuclear Waste. Presented to: MIT Student Chapter- ANS. Edward F. Sproat III Director Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management U.S. Department of Energy. April 23, 2007. Agenda. Yucca Mountain Repository Why Yucca Mountain? What is Going There?

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The Yucca Mountain Repository for Nuclear Waste

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  1. The Yucca Mountain Repository for Nuclear Waste Presented to: MIT Student Chapter- ANS Edward F. Sproat III Director Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management U.S. Department of Energy April 23, 2007

  2. Agenda • Yucca Mountain Repository • Why Yucca Mountain? • What is Going There? • What is the Process to Get It Open? • Impact on Future of Nuclear Power • Nuclear As a Career

  3. Geologic Disposal Addresses Multiple Missions Locations of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste CommercialSpent Nuclear Fuel Defense Complex Clean-Up Disposition of Naval Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel Support of Nonproliferation Initiatives, e.g. Disposal of DOE Foreign Research Reactor Spent Fuel

  4. Spent Fuel Statistics Spent fuel is stored in large pools of water to shield its radioactive properties Or, spent fuel is stored in above-ground dry casks Spent Fuel Assembly • Nuclear power plants are producing about 20% of the electricity in the U.S. • 72 plant sites with spent fuel • 39 states with spent fuel • 53,440 metric tons of spent fuel existed in December 2005 • 119,000 metric tons of spent fuel projected by 2035 • Five Department of Energy (DOE) sites with spent fuel

  5. Congress Created a Legal Obligation to Dispose of Nuclear Waste • 1982 - Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) established the national policy for the disposal of commercial spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste • 1987 - Congress directed DOE to characterize only the Yucca Mountain site • 2002 - The Secretary of Energy and the President recommended, and Congress approved, the Yucca Mountain site for development of a repository

  6. CongressApproved Site 2002 PresidentRecommendedSite 2002 SecretaryRecommendedSite 2002 ViabilityAssessment1998 License toReceive & PossessWaste The National Repository Program ConstructionAuthorization P LicenseApplicationJune 2008 P P P P P YM only site tobe characterized 1987 Nuclear WastePolicy Act 1982 P Actions Completed Next Step

  7. Location of Yucca Mountain, Nevada

  8. Yucca Mountain Surface at Exploratory Studies Facility Portals South Portal North Portal

  9. Yucca Mountain Subsurface Overview 1,000 Feet Surface North Portal South Portal Repository Level Water Table Protective Outer Barrier 1,000 Feet Mechanical Support Inner Barrier Various Permanent Waste Packages Permanent Waste Packages Access Tunnel Transporting Containers by Rail Remote Control Locomotive

  10. Best Achievable Schedule Program Key Milestones • License Application Design Complete- Nov. 2007 • LSN Certification- December 2007 • Supplemental EIS- May 2008 • License Application Submittal- June 2008 • Start Nevada Rail Construction- October 2009 • YM Construction Authorization- September 2011 • Operating License Submittal- March 2013 • Rail Line Operational- June 2014 • Begin Receipt- March 2017

  11. Nuclear Power’s Future • Current operating civilian fleet of 104 reactors • To date, the licenses of 39 nuclear power plants have been renewed. • The applications of an additional 12 are under review, and the owners of 27 more have expressed the intention to file. • U.S. utilities have announced interest in construction of around 30 new nuclear power plants. • Yucca Mountain is key to nuclear expansion

  12. Nuclear As a Career • Field is clearly growing • Demand for leaders is high • Operations • Construction • International Opportunities

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