Rachael Zisk of Ignition reports on an agreement to recycle spent nuclear fuel.
- The uranium rods powering America’s nuclear reactors have a lifetime of three to seven years, depending on their enrichment levels, before they can no longer sustain a fission reaction.
- The spent fuel that is removed from reactors still holds 90% of its power potential, but since the U.S. does not recycle spent fuel, this potential remains untapped.
- Orano, a nuclear firm focusing on fuel management and reactor decommissioning, and SHINE Technologies, a nuclear startup, have signed an MOU to to explore building a fuel recycling facility in the US.
“To date, the US has restricted domestic nuclear fuel recycling due to proliferation concerns, but that could be changing. The Biden administration is more open to ending the moratorium on recycling in light of the potential benefits of recycling fuel, according to an analysis by Physics Today.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
