Recycled Nuclear Fuel? Another Innovative Source for America’s Energy Future

Overseas, the recycling of nuclear fuel has been happening for years. France is just one of the recognizable names involved in the process. However, the recycling of nuclear fuel has not been prevalent, or even tried in America. That is until recently. New is that Curio, a small start-up company in DC has been refining its efforts for almost two years now. Their product is considered de-risked and ready for the American market. They already have a customer in Energy Northwest of Richmond, VA.

Traditionally, after several years use, nuclear fuel is removed from commercial power plants and stored until we have sufficient national repository space for it. This spent nuclear fuel could be, according to Bob Schuetz, CEO of Energy Northwest, “a game-changing development for the future of the commercial nuclear fuel industry”. It could be particularly lucrative for Energy Northwest, who owns the only commercial nuclear power plant in the Northwest. Curio also finds itself in an enviable position, not only being the industry leader, but also claiming to be able to produce other useful products from what, until now, has been considered waste.

Energy Northwest has been storing spent nuclear fuel on site since it began operations in 1984. They already have at least 54 concrete and steel casks – each 19 feet tall and 11 feet in diameter- filled to the brim. The nation as a whole now has almost 100 tons of spent nuclear fuel available, with no clear plans for its disposal. It was supposed to go to a planned repository in Yucca Mountain, NV, but that plan seemingly has been mothballed for years. What, until now, has been just an expensive headache, now seems poised to be an unlikely source of profit. Energy Northwest alone has paid in excess of $100M in fees since 1983 to DOE, pending disposition of the spent fuel.

Opponents of nuclear energy oppose expanded production in the industry primarily because of our nation’s lack of a disposal site. “Yesterday’s nuclear waste is holding back tomorrow’s reactors,” said Edward McGinnis, CEO of Curio and the DOE’s former assistant of nuclear energy. But the tide may be turning. “This is a great opportunity…to reduce the footprint of used fuels,” according to Energy Northwest Executive Jason Herbert. Not only does it appeal to those who crave more recycling, it also shows the nuclear industry to have a viable long-term commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
At present, no more than 4% of the energy value of commercial fuel is used by the time it is removed from the reactors. The remaining 96% of the highly radioactive material in spent fuel can be repurposed for profitable purposes. In short, that huge amount of leftover fuel is about to become treasure rather than trash. “We really think that used fuel is a potential asset in the future”, Herbert says. And they have plans to remove more than just uranium from the used commercial reactor fuel.

Curio also has plans to remove isotopes which are beneficial and necessary for medical uses, ranging from cancer treatments to imaging. Additionally, opportunities exist to remove other isotopes necessary to power deep-space missions. It also has potential to be valuable for new fission-based batteries. The other good news? Curio claims the process is incredibly efficient, and will not generate large amounts of waste, avoiding potentially circling back to the original problem.

Where is America currently acquiring much of its uranium? From Russia, of all places. If Curio is successful, and there is every reason to believe they will be, we can successfully reduce our nation’s reliance on foreign sources. “The more that the supply chain and those resources can be domestically based, the more secure that supply chain,” said Herbert.

Besides storage and disposal, another concern regarding the use of nuclear fuel is the possibility of nuclear proliferation. Curio, however, promised to have the strongest proliferation measures possible. This is achieved in part by leaving plutonium that could be used for weapons commingled with other highly radioactive materials as a self-protective measure.

I believe we will see this become a reliable source of energy for the US within our lifetime. However, don’t expect it tomorrow. Curio has yet to pick a site for its recycling plant, and estimates that it will not be up and running for another decade. However, with Energy Northwest as a viable partner, they have a ready-made market. McGinnis also claims they will be producing recycled nuclear fuel for new advanced nuclear reactors. Stay tuned to see how this attractive energy alternative plays out. I hope I live long enough to find out.