Date: July 25, 2006
Source: M2 Communications, Ltd.
Nuclear Recycling Study from Boston Consulting Considers Value of Proposed Yucca Mountain Repository
Nuclear fuel recycling, as part of a portfolio strategy in which a large-scale integrated recycling plant complements a repository, such as the planned Yucca Mountain, could be attractive for solving the long-term used nuclear fuel management requirement of the U.S. nuclear power market, according to a Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study released today.
Conducted for Bethesda, Md.-based AREVA Inc., a U.S. nuclear vendor, BCG performed the first extensive study of proprietary operational and financial data from decades of AREVA's nuclear recycling experience at the La Hague and Melox facilities in France.
The study, "Economic Assessment of Used Nuclear Fuel Management in the United States," shows that the economics of recycling and disposal of high-level waste in Yucca Mountain are comparable to the economics of the targeted once-through U.S. fuel cycle, said BCG, especially considering uncertainties that surround the nuclear fuel cycle, such as capital investment costs and uranium prices.
"This study shows that current generation recycling technologies for used nuclear fuel are in an economic range that can be competitive," said Dennis Spurgeon, assistant secretary for Nuclear Energy. "This economic benchmark is useful as we work on advanced recycling technologies that make better use of our energy resources and reduce the space and time needed to store nuclear waste."
"As companies and governments decide how to navigate the opportunities presented by nuclear power technologies, BCG's economic analysis of AREVA's experience as one of the world's leading reprocessing and recycling plant operators offers vital insight into the development of a comprehensive nuclear waste management strategy," said Rick Peters, senior vice president and the head of BCG's worldwide energy practice.
Using AREVA's technical knowledge and experience, BCG evaluated the costs of a large scale advanced fuel treatment plant with enhanced processes integrated with recycled fuel manufacturing.
The study reports that recycling, as part of a portfolio strategy in which an integrated treatment and recycling plant complements a repository such as Yucca Mountain repository, offers specific benefits including:
Increasing the capacity of Yucca Mountain by a factor of 4 by recycling newly discharged fuel within four years and cooling the vitrified high-level waste for 25 years at the recycling facility.
Providing a comparable cost of disposal while eliminating the need for a second repository during the 50 years of recycling plant operation.
Creating an effective long-term hedge on rising fuel costs by providing 20-25 percent of the annual nuclear fuel needs in the U.S. through recycled products.
Reducing used fuel inventory in the short term by removing the newly discharged, hotter fuel for recycling.
Eliminating the need for additional storage at reactor sites while recycling some of the older legacy fuel in dilution with new fuel.
To download a copy of the study, visit: www.bcg.com/publications, or follow this link: www.bcg.com/publications/files/2116202EconomicAssessmentReport24Jul0SR.pdf
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