Ramtasc Information

Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) Status & Challenges: In 2021, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported there were 93 operating power reactors at 55 sites in 28 states. In addition, there are 21 shutdown reactors at 18 sites. Combined, they have more than 86,000 metric tons of commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in storage. Roughly 2,000 metric tons of additional spent fuel is generated each year. Final disposal of this SNF is the federal governments responsibility per the Nuclear Waste Policy Act. In the 1980s, all nuclear power plants signed contracts with the federal government to take title to the fuel, and transport it to a safe and secure disposal site for final disposition. The nuclear power plants paid for this service with a surcharge on their electric bills. Money from that surcharge was turned over to the federal governments nuclear waste fund, NWF. At the end of 2019, the NWF had $40.4 Billion in remaining assets. The federal government was contractually obligated to begin disposal services for SNF in 1998. The governments failure to deliver on this obligation resulted in a partial breach of contract determination by the courts. Each utility operating nuclear power plants has developed independent settlements with the federal government based on that legal outcome. Ongoing storage of SNF that should have been disposed is now paid for by taxpayers. Annual costs for this storage are charged to taxpayers at the rate of ~$500 million per year. According to the federal governments General Accounting Office, the annual operating cost for dry storage facilities billed to taxpayers is $350,000 at a site where an NPP is still operating. The annual operating costs to taxpayers at sites where the NPP has been shut down averages $6.5 million/site. At the end of 2020, 22 reactors were permanently shut down. Most of these closures are economically driven, mostly by the low cost of power produced by natural gas fired power plants. The high cost to taxpayers and the expanding liability of nuclear waste is now ...