Selection of Away-from-Reactor Facilities for Spent Fuel Storage

With the continuing accumulation of spent fuel at reactor sites, the demand for additional storage of spent fuel at AFR (away from reactor) facilities is growing. It is an issue for most Member States generating nuclear power, including those countries pursuing reprocessing. There are a diversity of technical options and services available which offer competitive, reliable solutions to meet the storage requirements. In particular, dry storage technologies have been widely applied. The selection of the most appropriate product or service among the range of options available for a project involves the consideration of a number of factors, both technical and non-technical. This publication is intended to provide a review of the key factors associated with selection of an option for AFR facilities for spent fuel storage, together with a discussion of the generic methodology for the decision making, thereby providing guidance on practical approaches to project implementation.