How much radioactive waste will be stored at Yucca Mountain?
Congress has authorized the storage of up to 70,000 metric tons of used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive defense waste at the repository. The supplemental environmental impact statement on the site demonstrated that 130,000 metric tons could be stored safely at Yucca Mountain. Independent scientific studies conclude that the repository could be expanded to contain an even greater volume. One study by the Electric Power Research Institute found the site capable of safely containing up to 570,000 metric tons of nuclear material. DOE, in a report issued in December 2008, further supported the view that the repository could be significantly expanded—concluding that “at least 3 times” the authorized 70,000 metric tons could be emplaced at Yucca Mountain. All the used nuclear fuel from 40 years of U.S. reactor operations—approximately 60,000 metric tons—is being stored at nuclear power plants. If these fuel rods were stacked end to end, they would only cover the area of a football fie
