1. The Yucca Mountain Repository for Nuclear Waste April 23, 2007 Edward F. Sproat III Director Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management U.S. Department of Energy Presented to: MIT Student Chapter- ANS

2. 2 SBBB-Tour Briefing_0107Rev0.ppt Agenda  Yucca Mountain Repository –Why Yucca Mountain? –What is Going There? –What is the Process to Get It Open? –Impact on Future of Nuclear Power  Nuclear As a Career

3. 3 SBBB-Tour Briefing_0107Rev0.ppt Geologic Disposal Addresses Multiple Missions Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposition of Naval Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel Support of Nonproliferation Initiatives, e.g. Disposal of DOE Foreign Research Reactor Spent Fuel Defense Complex Clean-Up Locations of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste

4. 4 SBBB-Tour Briefing_0107Rev0.ppt Spent Fuel Statistics Or, spent fuel is stored in above- ground dry casks Spent fuel is stored in large pools of water to shield its radioactive properties Spent Fuel Assembly  Nuclear power plants are producing about 20% of the electricity in the U.S. –72 plant sites with spent fuel –39 states with spent fuel –53,440 metric tons of spent fuel existed in December 2005 –119,000 metric tons of spent fuel projected by 2035  Five Department of Energy (DOE) sites with spent fuel

5. 5 SBBB-Tour Briefing_0107Rev0.ppt Congress Created a Legal Obligation to Dispose of Nuclear Waste  1982 - Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA) established the national policy for the disposal of commercial spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste  1987 - Congress directed DOE to characterize only the Yucca Mountain site  2002 - The Secretary of Energy and the President recommended, and Congress approved, the Yucca Mountain site for development of a repository

6. License to Receive & Possess Waste Construction Authorization License Application June 2008 Congress Approved Site 2002 2002 President Recommended Site 2002 Secretary Recommended Site 2002 Viability Assessment 1998 YM only site to be characterized 1987 1987 Nuclear Waste Policy Act 1982 1982 Actions Completed Next Step

7. 7 SBBB-Tour Briefing_0107Rev0.ppt Location of Yucca Mountain, Nevada

8. 8 SBBB-Tour Briefing_0107Rev0.ppt Yucca Mountain Surface at Exploratory Studies Facility Portals North Portal South Portal

9. 9 SBBB-Tour Briefing_0107Rev0.ppt Yucca Mountain Subsurface Overview South Portal North Portal Repository Level Repository Level 1,000 Feet 1,000 Feet Water Table 1,000 Feet 1,000 Feet Surface Transporting Containers by Rail Access Tunnel Permanent Waste Packages Mechanical Support Inner Barrier Protective Outer Barrier Various Permanent Waste Packages Remote Control Locomotive

10. 10 SBBB-Tour Briefing_0107Rev0.ppt Best Achievable Schedule Program Key Milestones  License Application Design Complete- Nov. 2007  LSN Certification- December 2007  Supplemental EIS- May 2008  License Application Submittal- June 2008  Start Nevada Rail Construction- October 2009  YM Construction Authorization- September 2011  Operating License Submittal- March 2013  Rail Line Operational- June 2014  Begin Receipt- March 2017

11. 11 SBBB-Tour Briefing_0107Rev0.ppt Nuclear Power’s Future  Current operating civilian fleet of 104 reactors  To date, the licenses of 39 nuclear power plants have been renewed.  The applications of an additional 12 are under review, and the owners of 27 more have expressed the intention to file.  U.S. utilities have announced interest in construction of around 30 new nuclear power plants.  Yucca Mountain is key to nuclear expansion

12. 12 SBBB-Tour Briefing_0107Rev0.ppt Nuclear As a Career  Field is clearly growing  Demand for leaders is high –Operations –Construction  International Opportunities