Research Analyst Samuel Hickey spoke with E&E News about the proliferation concerns inherent in fuel reprocessing policy conversations.
Foes of reprocessing see similarities between such defunct nuclear designs and some of the advanced reactor technologies now under development.
“There are some new designs, but they are not demonstrably greater, so we are still dealing with the same exact issues,” said Samuel Hickey, a research analyst with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. “And realistically, we have a much better solution to the accumulation of spent nuclear fuel, and that is dilution and permanent geological disposal of waste.”
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Similar worries prompted the Carter administration to be the first to formally suspend reprocessing, an action that has prompted decades of policy fights about the technology.
“Every time we put the nail in this particular coffin, it keeps coming back up,” Hickey said. Read more
