Part 2 of 2 Parts (Please read Part 1 first)
If nuclear fuel cycle management is outsourced to TENEX in Russia it is easier for international customers to operate their light-water reactors without needing to develop these facilities themselves in their countries.
Deposits of natural uranium ore are a finite and valuable resource, and the price can be quite volatile. Ninety-six percent of spent nuclear fuel is uranium and about one percent is plutonium. Technology exists to extract and use both. In addition, there is the expertise to efficiently manage radioactive waste. This position allows companies to offer a new approach to the nuclear fuel cycle or a new type of nuclear fuel cycle offering. This refers to a complete system that includes fast reactors, containers, radiochemistry, and fuel fabrication from regenerated nuclear materials.
Legally, the use of this system would not be classified as leasing. However, it functions in a similar way. The vendor would supply fresh nuclear fuel to the reactor, collect the spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing, and may supply fresh nuclear fuel made from regenerated materials.
There are still challenges, but they are related to improving existing technologies and scaling the infrastructure.
TENEX is committed to tuning their fuel cycle optimization solution to an off-the-shelf, yet fully complete offering. This means developing a set of standards that would apply not just for fresh fuel and spent fuel, but also for the radioactive waste produced from reprocessing spent fuel and the transmutation of minor actinides. TENEX has already developed reliable packaging and reference samples for this waste, and they have conceptualized facilities for its final isolation. However, since the disposal of radioactive waste is the responsibility of national nuclear facility operators, a significant amount of work remains to integrate these technical solutions into national laws and regulations. This is critical work, because nuclear technology clearly demonstrates a fully comprehensive and sustainable solution for every stage of the nuclear fuel cycle, from mining and enrichment to recycling and final waste disposal.
The TENEX global reach is substantial. It may be too soon to claim global adoption of the TENEX system, but interest in their solutions continues to grow, and so does the number of potential customers of what is called the “Sustainable Nuclear Fuel Cycle”.
The new technology enhances the sustainability of nuclear energy. A prime example may be the fast neutron reactors referenced above. These are Generation IV reactors, the most advanced commercial nuclear reactors currently available. The same applies to TENEX radiochemical processes, fabrication techniques, and containers. TENEX uses the best available technology at every stage.
In the long term, there is no viable alternative to a closed nuclear fuel cycle. Without it, eventually the accessible uranium ore deposits will run out of natural resources, and the radioactive waste burden will become unsustainable. Unfortunately, the processes in the nuclear fuel cycle take decades to unfold, so it’s unlikely that the closed fuel cycle will be fully adopted globally within the next fifty years. But in one hundred years, it can be hoped that it will be implemented universally.