[ RadSafe ] MIT nuclear study stirs controversy Thank you for the summary

[parthasarathy k s]

Dear Sandy

Thank you for the good summary on the developments in the policy on spent fuel 
management. 


Else where,  we noted that South Africa has fully withdrawn its support to PBMR. 
Clearly economic consideration prevailed. So long as possession of nuclear 
warheads remains the monopoly of a few, total nuclear disarmament will be a 
distant dream. No country has to go through the nuclear power route to produce 
nuclear weapons!

Fresh thinking on acceptable fuel cycle strategy is desirable. After all the 
present development from nuclear submarine reactors to PWRs, BWRs etc was not 
logical. It was not dictated on the basis of any specific strategy.

India chose closed fuel cycle with a three stage power programme as the ore 
grade of the uranium resources in India at 0.06 % was very low. Nuclear power 
costing may be arguably very dicy. The fast reactor- enthusiasts in India 
believe that power from breeder will be comparable to the PHWRs of that time. 


If the development of breeder reactors is tied on to economics, progress will be 
insignificant as universally available natural uranium sources can feed the 
conventional nuclear power programme for the next 100 years 

Regards
Parthasarathy


________________________________
From: "Perle, Sandy" <SPerle at mirion.com>
To: The International Radiation Protection (Health Physics) Mailing List 
<radsafe at health.phys.iit.edu>; "powernet at hps1.org" <powernet at hps1.org>
Sent: Thu, 23 September, 2010 2:58:29
Subject: [ RadSafe ] MIT nuclear study stirs controversy

MIT nuclear study stirs controversy
September 22, 2010

The commercial development of spent fuel reprocessing and fast reactors by other 
nations will leave the U.S. behind
An MIT study finds no shortage of uranium for nuclear energy, but recommends 
against recycling spent nuclear fuel. Instead, scientists at the prestigious 
university call for a sustained R&D program worth nearly $700 million a year. 
That's some sandbox.

Meanwhile, David Jones, Vice President of Used Fuel Management at Areva, argues 
that recycling spent nuclear fuel is a proven solution that is cost competitive 
and reduces proliferation concerns.
And Stephen Turner, an expert on spent nuclear fuel, told this blog Sept 21 that 
U.S. private industry will not wait for the U.S. government to make up its mind. 
Speaking at the annual meeting of the National Fabrication Consortium held in 
Cleveland, he said:
"These firms have developed the business case for spent fuel reprocessing. They 
will pull the pin when the market is ready."
Confirming Turner's view, Areva's Jones told this blog the firm wants to build 
an 800 ton/year plant.

Conservative is not a challenge
The MIT study claims to "challenge conventional assumptions" about nuclear 
energy, but, in fact, it is very conservative in its findings. It says the U.S. 
is in no hurry to solve the problem of disposal of high level radioactive waste 
nor should it rush into investments in fast reactors. It recommends against any 
investment in recycling spent nuclear fuel.

Studies like this hit the desks of policy makers in Washington, like the current 
Blue Ribbon Commission, with a big impact. The reason is they are filling a 
vacuum created by Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) who shot down the 
Yucca Mountain project as the price for his support of the Obama 
Administration's legislative initiatives. As a result there is no policy for 
spent fuel in Washington.

Getting back to the wide-ranging recommendations of the report, it addresses 
economics, current and future fuel cycles, waste management, nonproliferation, 
and an ambitious R&D program. Highlights include:
Eliminate financial risk premiums for 7-10 new reactors to keep the price under 
$4,000/kw. Once they are built, assuming they come in on time/budget, future 
reactors will be cost competitive with coal and natural gas.
Keep the once-through fuel cycle using LWR reactors for the rest of this 
century.

Develop a central disposal site for spent nuclear fuel with a transition period 
of 50-100 years. Establish a quasi-government firm to take over management of 
spent fuel.
Invest in R&D at the rate of $700 million/year for up to 50 years to determine 
if fast reactors, or anything else, can be designed that make economic sense.

Where has the U.S. been the past 20 years?
Charles Forsberg, one of the scientists on the MIT team, said in a statement 
there has been very little research on the fuel cycle for the past 30 years. 
Considering that Massachusetts Senator John Kerry led the effort in the Senate 
to close out funding for the Integral Fast Reactor, that remark shouldn't be a 
surprise to anyone.

Ernest Moniz, another member of the MIT panel, was an Undersecretary at the 
Department of Energy during the Clinton administration. Then and now his primary 
concern is getting more of the total inventory of plutonium out of circulation. 
His overarching focus on nonproliferation drives an almost unreasonable approach 
to options to manufacture MOX fuel and develop fast reactors. The reason, he 
says, is that these methods do nothing to reduce total plutonium in the fuel 
cycle.
Well, once you decide that's all you're going to do, the rest become easy. In 
fact, the MOX fuel plant being built in South Carolina will take 34 tons of 
plutonium out of circulation and put it to good use in conventional LWRs. 
Worldwide, almost three dozen reactors burn MOX fuel.

Areva has a different idea

David Jones, an Areva executive with a long career in spent fuel management for 
nuclear utilities, said on a conference call with nuclear bloggers last week the 
MIT recommendations do not support a sustainable nuclear fuel cycle approach 
that supports nuclear growth scenarios.
He is critical of MIT's focus on an R&D plan instead of an action plan.

"This is contrary to what is being done in nearly every other country where this 
question is addressed up front as a matter of policy."
He told the bloggers the report also recommends the U.S. offer fuel leasing to 
other countries, but seems to fail to recognize the credibility issue of this 
concept.
"How can we expect to demonstrate leadership to the world on used fuel 
management when we cannot decide ourselves if used fuel is a waste or a 
resource?"
Why are other nations recycling their fuel? Jones says economics isn't the only 
reason.

"The motivations of other nations, such as France, Japan and the United Kingdom, 
to recycle are not purely economic but also are informed by questions of energy 
security, resource conservation, public acceptance and others that reside in the 
social sciences."
Jones closed his comments by noting that once again the U.S. has its head in the 
sand.

"Every nation with a significant nuclear power sector, with the exception of the 
United States, has embraced recycling."
Separately, speaking in Vienna, Austria, at a 9/20 IAEA meeting, U.S. Energy 
Secretary Chu called for development of an international fuel bank. Assuming the 
IAEA administers the fuel bank, and retrogrades the spent fuel from customers, 
it's an easy bet it won't come back to the U.S., at least not while MIT's report 
holds sway at the Blue Ribbon Commission.

-----------------------------------
Sander C. Perle
President
Mirion Technologies
Dosimetry Services Division
2652 McGaw Avenue
Irvine, CA 92614

+1 (949) 296-2306 (Office)
+1 (949) 296-1130 (Fax)

Mirion Technologies: http://www.mirion.com/



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