Global Views of Spent Fuel Storage and Disposal

In mid-January 2015 about 100 nuclear industry professionals met in Washington, DC, USA, for the 30th Annual Spent Fuel Seminar, sponsored by the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management (INMM), in partnership with the U.S. Nuclear Infrastructure Council (NIC). This year the conference had a heavy international flavor, including updates on the successful disposal program in Sweden, progress being made toward a consolidated interim storage facility in Spain, perspectives of the European Union on spent fuel management, updates on spent fuel storage in Germany and Japan, and what the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is doing to lay the groundwork for its spent fuel strategy that was announced two years ago in January 2013. Regulatory perspectives, legislative predictions in the U.S., advances in storage research and development, transportation, and the growing decommissioning market were also covered as part of the packed two-and-a-half-day agenda.