Year
2014
Abstract
The United States Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy is conducting planning activities within the Nuclear Fuels Storage and Transportation Planning Project (NFST) to lay the groundwork for implementing interim storage, including associated transportation, per the Administration’s Strategy for the Management and Disposal of Used Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste, and to develop a foundation for a new nuclear waste management organization. The purpose of the NFST is to make progress on this important national issue, within existing legislative and budgetary authorizations. The objective of the NFST is to develop and begin implementation of an integrated plan to 1) implement interim storage; 2) improve the overall integration of storage as a planned part of the waste management system; 3) prepare for the large- scale transportation of used nuclear fuel (UNF) and high-level radioactive waste, with an initial focus on removing UNF from the shutdown reactor sites; and 4) develop foundational information, resources, and capabilities needed to support the aforementioned objectives and future implementation decisions and actions. The planning activities are divided into four major topical areas: 1) Consent-Based Siting, 2) Storage, 3) Transportation, and 4) Strategic Crosscuts. This paper provides an overview of the NFST and its activities.