Syed E. Hasan

Chapter 4 International practice in high-level nuclear waste management

Abstract Over the past five decades a huge quantity of high-level nuclear (radioactive) waste has accumulated worldwide in 30 countries. Despite the fact that high-level waste presents serious hazard to human health and the environment, not a single facility for disposal of high-level waste exits anywhere in the world. This paper presents a discussion of the utilization of nuclear energy on a global basis as well as the current practice of temporary storage and planned management of high-level waste. Progress made by Finland, Sweden, and the U.S.A. in finalizing permanent deep geological repositories is reviewed. Details of the Yucca Mountain Project, U.S.A., the Olkiluoto site in Finland, and Oskarshamn and Osthammar sites in Sweden are presented in the paper. Status of plans for permanent disposal of high-level waste by other countries is summarized. The recently proposed concept of shared regional/international deep geological repository is reviewed.