3 Jul (NucNet): The UK’s “significant stocks” of uranium and plutonium could be reused as fuel for a possible new generation of modern reactors with 60-year lifetimes, a study carried out for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) has suggested.
The ‘Uranium and Plutonium: Macro-economic Study’* provides economic analysis of possible disposal options for stocks of uranium and plutonium that have come mainly from uranium enrichment, nuclear fuel manufacture and used nuclear fuel reprocessing.
An inventory of core nuclear material shows the UK has some 60,000 tonnes of heavy metal equivalent – the mass of uranium and/or plutonium in the materials – from sources such as the thermal oxide reprocessing plant (Thorp) at Sellafield and residue from enrichment of natural uranium for the manufacture of advanced gas-cooled reactor fuel.
All the materials could be declared as waste, stored, or processed for reuse. There are many possible scenarios, with some materials declared as waste, some stored, and some reused, the study says.
One possibility is to reuse uranium stocks in nuclear power plants by conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication. Plutonium stocks could be used for mixed oxide fuel (MOX) fabrication.
The study says there is enough material to fuel up to three 1,000-megawatt reactor units over their 60-year lifetime.
This assumes that the UK will have an ongoing nuclear electricity generation programme. The government is considering allowing energy companies to invest in nuclear power, but will not make a final decision until the end of a consultation process in October.
The NDA said in a statement it will take the study’s findings into account in discussions with the government.
* The study was carried out on behalf of the NDA by Environmental Resources Management and Integrated Decision Management. It can be downloaded from the NDA website (www.nda.gov.uk).
