Key Issues

Nuclear Waste Disposal

Most used fuel from nuclear power plants is stored in steel-lined concrete pools filled with water, or in airtight steel or concrete-and-steel containers as pictured above.

Used Nuclear Fuel and Low-Level Waste

Used nuclear fuel is a solid material safely stored at nuclear plant sites. This storage is only temporary—one component of an integrated used fuel management system that addresses all facets of storing, recycling and disposal.

	Integrated Used Fuel Management
	Under an integrated management approach, used nuclear fuel will remain stored at nuclear power plants in the near term. Eventually, the government will recycle it and place the unusable end product in a deep geologic repository.

	Low-Level Radioactive Waste
	Low-level waste is a byproduct of the beneficial uses of a wide range of radioactive materials. These include electricity generation, medical diagnosis and treatment, and various other medical processes.

	Recycling Used Nuclear Fuel
	The federal government plans to develop advanced recycling technologies to take full advantage of the unused energy in the used fuel and reduce the amount and toxicity of byproducts requiring disposal.

	Storage of Used Nuclear Fuel
	Currently, used nuclear fuel is stored at the nation's nuclear power plants in steel-lined, concrete pools or basins filled with water or in massive, airtight steel or concrete-and-steel canisters.

	Transportation
	The U.S. Department of Energy will transport used nuclear fuel to the repository by rail and road, inside massive, sealed containers that have undergone safety and durability testing.

	Repository Development
	Under any used fuel management scenario, disposal of high-level radioactive byproducts in a permanent geologic repository is necessary.

Resources and Statistics

Statistics on:

U.S. State-by-State Commercial Nuclear Used Fuel and Payments to the Nuclear Waste Fund
Nuclear Waste Fund Payment Information by State
Used Nuclear Fuel Storage Map

Fact sheets, policy briefs, charts, graphs and other resources related to nuclear waste.

Graphics and Charts