The Department of Energy has offered a tentative sign that it may be interested in consolidated spent-fuel storage projects in the future.
The Augusta Chronicle noted that DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy posted a notice last week to identify potential private-sector resources for a large-scale spent-fuel-storage demonstration project. While no funding or formal program has been announced, the concept aligns with a proposal to consolidate spent fuel at regional storage facilities in the absence of a geologic repository in Nevada's Yucca Mountain.
In January, the Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future suggested a "consent-based" approach to consolidating spent fuel at one or more interim storage facilities, and Congress considered legislation to that effect earlier this year. A coalition in New Mexico is advocating for waste storage in the south-eastern part of the state, and the Chronicle reported that another economic development organization is exploring the potential for spent fuel storage at the Savannah River Site.