Hyatt, N.C. (2017) Plutonium management policy in the United Kingdom: The need for a dual track strategy. Energy Policy, 101. pp. 303-309. ISSN 0301-4215
Abstract
The United Kingdom holds the largest stockpile of separated civil plutonium in the world, projected to reach 140 t, at the end of this decade, when reprocessing operations are complete. UK Government policy is that this material should be reused as MOX fuel in Light Water Reactors. This policy is re-examined in the light of recent experience of the US plutonium disposition programme, in which the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility is now considered to be potentially unaffordable. Problematic aspects of US programme, relevant to the UK scenario, are reviewed, to understand the possible impact on UK policy. Based on the US experience and inherent uncertainty regarding the capital and operational costs of MOX fuel fabrication and plutonium immobilisation facilities, and the associated technical risks, it is concluded that the UK policy should explicitly adopt a dual track strategy to plutonium management, with commitment that: any remaining plutonium which is not converted into MOX fuel, or otherwise reused, will be immobilised and treated as waste for disposal. This will also ensure that the UK is positioned and prepared to take forward an immobilisation and disposal programme for the plutonium stockpile, should reuse as MOX fuel not prove an economic or viable option.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) |
Keywords: | Plutonium; MOX; Immobilisation |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Engineering (Sheffield) > Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 16 Nov 2016 16:26 |
Last Modified: | 06 Mar 2017 16:25 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2016.08.033 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.enpol.2016.08.033 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:107561 |