This legislation directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct a comprehensive study on new technologies and opportunities for recycling spent nuclear fuel. The study will analyze the practicability, potential benefits, costs, and risks of converting spent nuclear fuel into usable fuels for commercial, advanced, and non-reactor applications, including medical and space-based uses. This includes comparing recycling from temporary storage sites with the current once-through fuel cycle and evaluating both aqueous and non-aqueous recycling processes. The bill also requires assessing the feasibility of extracting valuable isotopes for various domestic and international applications, such as medical, industrial, and advanced-battery uses. It mandates an analysis of approaches for coupling or collocating recycling facilities with other nuclear infrastructure, considering economic and deployment factors. Additionally, the study must identify parties impacted by current temporary storage and assess the potential risks and benefits of relocating spent fuel for recycling, alongside evaluating different siting and sizing approaches for these facilities. Furthermore, the study will identify regulatory gaps in nuclear waste management, compare U.S. definitions with international standards, and propose modernizing these definitions. It will also evaluate potential Federal and State-level policy changes needed to support the development and deployment of recycling technologies. The Secretary must submit a publicly available report within one year, detailing the study's results, identifying challenges, and providing policy recommendations for the commercial adoption of secure and economical spent nuclear fuel recycling.
This legislation directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct a comprehensive study on new technologies and opportunities for recycling spent nuclear fuel. The study will analyze the practicability, potential benefits, costs, and risks of converting spent nuclear fuel into usable fuels for commercial, advanced, and non-reactor applications, including medical and space-based uses. This includes comparing recycling from temporary storage sites with the current once-through fuel cycle and evaluating both aqueous and non-aqueous recycling processes. The bill also requires assessing the feasibility of extracting valuable isotopes for various domestic and international applications, such as medical, industrial, and advanced-battery uses. It mandates an analysis of approaches for coupling or collocating recycling facilities with other nuclear infrastructure, considering economic and deployment factors. Additionally, the study must identify parties impacted by current temporary storage and assess the potential risks and benefits of relocating spent fuel for recycling, alongside evaluating different siting and sizing approaches for these facilities. Furthermore, the study will identify regulatory gaps in nuclear waste management, compare U.S. definitions with international standards, and propose modernizing these definitions. It will also evaluate potential Federal and State-level policy changes needed to support the development and deployment of recycling technologies. The Secretary must submit a publicly available report within one year, detailing the study's results, identifying challenges, and providing policy recommendations for the commercial adoption of secure and economical spent nuclear fuel recycling.