Technical, Economic and Institutional Aspects of Regional Spent Fuel Storage Facilities

A particular challenge facing countries with small nuclear programmes is the preparation for extended interim storage and then disposal of their spent nuclear fuel. The costs and complications of providing for away-from-reactor storage facilities and/or geological repositories for relatively small amounts of spent fuel may be prohibitively high, motivating interest in regional solutions. This publication addresses the technical, economic and institutional aspects of regional spent fuel storage facilities and is based on the results of a series of meetings on this topic with participants from IAEA Member States.