Costing Methods And Funding Schemes For Radioactive Waste Disposal Programmes

Reliable methods for estimating the cost of a radioactive waste disposal programme are crucial to ensure that the necessary funding for completing the disposal programme is available. Estimating the cost for disposal is, however, a challenging and complex task. Disposal programmes themselves are complex and long term undertakings, and conditions can be expected to change significantly over the time span during which a disposal programme is developed and implemented. This publication provides Member States with information on developing cost estimates for a disposal programme and establishing funding mechanisms. It will help readers in becoming informed clients by familiarizing themselves with the approaches and complexities in cost estimates and funding mechanisms for disposal. The publication is applicable to all waste categories and both near surface and geological disposal. It contains relevant examples and case studies from national programmes. The cost figures are intended to give an indication of the possible cost of certain parts or aspects of the disposal programme rather than to compare different disposal programmes’ costs.

A considerable level of international experience has been gained over the last decades in designing radioactive waste disposal facilities. This publication is intended to assist Member States in planning for the disposal of radioactive waste. Specifically, this publication describes the approaches and principles to be considered by the responsible organizations within a Member State involved in the planning and design of radioactive waste disposal facilities. Examples are provided for all waste classes requiring disposal. The examples are based on successfully implemented designs or on design concepts that are sufficiently advanced to demonstrate their overall feasibility for the safe disposal of radioactive waste. Alternate disposal options are also discussed, describing solutions that rely on the conversion of existing facilities, such as mines or other underground openings as well as the potential for disposal in boreholes.

This publication is a new edition of Technical Reports Series No. 240, Guidebook on Spent Fuel Storage (1991). It aims to provide guidance on spent fuel storage options, describing the history and observed trends of spent fuel storage technologies, gathering operational experiences and lessons learned. The evolving aspects related to higher burnup and mixed oxide (MOX) spent fuel, and the extension of storage timeframes are detailed. It also includes information on the distribution of the current global inventory of spent fuel by storage systems, a description of (and terminology relating to) available spent fuel storage technologies and different storage facility locations.

This book presents the factual, precise, complete and accessible economic elements of nuclear energy in order to contribute to an informed and dispassionate debate. It analyzes the economic aspects of spent fuel management, including the costs and financing of long-term storage and deep geological disposal. The economic costs of a nuclear accident are also discussed from both theoretical and applied angles, based on the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Nuclear Economy 2 also examines the industrial and political aspects of the future energy mix. Nuclear energy is thus placed in the more global context of the European electricity market. Finally, this book offers a panorama of energy scenarios on the scale of France, but also of the world.