Originally Posted by Pew
I'm in camp 2 also, pretty awesome that we can re-use the fuel. I wonder though, if the fuel can be reused why not make a reactor close-by that can use it; relatively speaking vs shipping the uranium overseas France? (Unless I'm wrong that used fuel is shipped overseas to be reused?)
With Option #1, I've read some issues with Yucca Mountain and I'm not sure if this applies to most nuclear waste repositories, but I believe the current studies from the DoE show that the fuel still has to cool off above-ground before it can be stored underground and they were also having issues with possible moisture corroding the canisters?
On Camp #2, that's exactly the purpose of the SMR's that run on spent fuel, they'll be built adjacent, or in close proximity, to existing nuclear power plants and start to consume the used fuel bundles. NB Power has plans to build two SMR's adjacent to their Point Lepreau CANDU nuclear plant, which runs a single CANDU 6. One of those designs is the aforementioned Moltex SSR, which will reprocess and consume the existing CANDU fuel bundles stored onsite. It's a great setup!
Here in Ontario, the new build will be on the existing Darlington Nuclear site (the topic of this thread) and OPG already holds a valid site license for new construction. Odds are the design will either be a Terrestrial MSR or a NuScale unit, though it is possible it will be something else. This is the current status of vendors working their way through our VDR:
http://nuclearsafety.gc.ca/eng/reactors/power-plants/pre-licensing-vendor-design-review/index.cfm
There's a Federally-sponsored program for SMR's (Canadian SMR Roadmap) that provides financial support as well as access to a test site where these units can be constructed, operated and evaluated at Chalk River. From there, major utilities like OPG, Bruce Power, NBPower, Saskpower, MB Power...etc can choose to further sponsor these designs (OPG is doing that right now with the USNC/GFP MMR, the first design slated to be constructed at Chalk River) to expedite the construction and testing or to provide their own grounds for construction, like the Darlington B site or Point Lepreau, for commercial deployment.