Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in March of 2011, Germany decided to shut down all of its nuclear reactors as quickly as possible. Over three years later, Japan is still debating the restart of their idled fifty four nuclear power reactors. Other nations are reconsidering their commitment to nuclear power as well. Now Sweden is involved in a discussion about the future of their nuclear power plants.
What to do with spent nuclear fuel and other radioactive waste is the great unanswered question of nuclear power. The spent nuclear fuel pools in the one hundred U.S. nuclear power reactors will all be full in five years unless massive amounts of temporary storage casks are built to hold the spent fuel until a permanent repository is built.
