Parametric study of the total system life cycle cost of an alternate nuclear waste management strategy using deep boreholes

[摘要] (cont.) Assuming a 10% discount rate, the net present cost of the deep borehole strategy is 18% less than that of the mined geologic repository approach. Finally, the model illustrates the economic benefits of opening a centralized interim storage facility of significant capacity as soon as possible. For example, if a 40,000 metric tonne facility, comparable in scale to the proposed Private Fuel Storage Facility in Utah, was opened by 2020, and the mined repository was opened in the same year, the total life cycle cost would be reduced by $1.5B relative to the case with no interim storage. If, moreover, the opening date of the mined geologic repository were delayed until 2040 or 2060, the savings provided by interim storage increase dramatically, to $4.9 and $8.1B, respectively. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the political and strategic consequences of several key policy choices.

[发布机构] Massachusetts Institute of Technology