Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the 2004 International RERTR Meeting
EXTENDING THE FOREIGN SPENT FUEL ACCEPTANCE PROGRAM:
POLICY AND IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES
EDWIN S. LYMAN
Senior Scientist
Global Security Program Union of Concerned Scientists
1707 H St, NW, Suite 600 Washington, DC 20006 USA
ABSTRACT
The May 2006 expiration date of the Foreign Research
Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel (FRR SNF) Acceptance Program
is fast approaching. In April 2004, Energy Secretary
Spencer Abraham instructed the Energy Department to
“initiate actions necessary to extend …. the fuel
acceptance deadline.” However, extending the deadline
may not be a simple task. The limits on the original
program resulted from a delicate negotiation among many
stakeholders. Any proposal to increase the duration and
scope of the program will have to be considered in the
context of DOE’s failure since 1996 to develop viable
treatment, packaging and long-term disposal options for
FRR SNF. It is also unclear whether accepting additional
low-enriched uranium FRR SNF can be justified on
security grounds. This paper will propose criteria for
acceptance of spent fuel under an extension that are
intended to minimize controversy and ensure consistency
with a threat-based prioritization of homeland security
expenditures.
Contact: Dr. Jordi Roglans-Ribas
Technical Director, RERTR Department
Nuclear Engineering Division – 362
Argonne National Laboratory
9700 South Cass Avenue
Argonne, IL 60439
Fax: +1 630-252-5161
The 2016 International RERTR Meeting (RERTR-2016) will take place in Belgium.
Stay tuned for further details.
The 2015 International RERTR Meeting (RERTR-2015) took place in Seoul, Korea on Oct. 11-14, 2015.
For more information visit RERTR-2015.