Year
2003
Abstract
Ultimate disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) is well understood technologically; however, the political and economic aspects are complex. The end state of the SNF and its relation to the non-proliferation policy of the country of origin or control is a major concern. The United States is concerned that countries with no feasible solution for the ultimate disposal of SNF become a proliferation risk if motivated toward reprocessing and manufacture of mixed-oxide fuel. The preferred U.S. solution is the ultimate disposal of the SNF assemblies in a geological repository that can provide control over both human and natural intrusion for at least 10,000 years. Another concern is the cost of interim and ultimate disposal of the SNF compared with the lifecycle cost of reprocessing. Economy of scale and other considerations may represent an opportunity for a country with suitable locations for interim storage and ultimate disposal. Non-Proliferation Trust, Inc. (NPT) is a not-for-profit corporation that provides an innovative solution for disposal of SNF for countries such as Taiwan, South Korea, Italy, and Switzerland. At the same time it provides much needed hard currency to Russia for dealing with humanitarian and environmental issues that would otherwise strain the economic resources of the Russian government. NPT proposes an interim storage facility in eastern Russia, to be followed by a geological repository. NPT provides SNF storage services while collecting and administering distribution of user fees from commercial nuclear program generators of SNF. These user fees provide the necessary design, construction and operating funds for the facilities, as well as providing substantial monies for humanitarian and environmental purposes. Financial control is vested in trusts administered for three very specific purposes: • to fund the storage and ultimate disposal of foreign country SNF over which the United States has consent rights as to ultimate disposition • to fund humanitarian actions for the relief of workers from past Russian nuclear programs, orphans, and pensioners • to fund the environmental clean-up of legacy nuclear sites in Russia. This paper describes the Non-Proliferation Trust concept and progress to date toward making it a reality.