ALL current and currently proposed nuclear power plants are based on Nuclear fission
ALL Nuclear fission reactions unlike nuclear Fusion produces unwanted radio active waste, this so called 'waste' contains elements with VERY long half lives.
There is no know way to make this waste safe, except to wait 10,000's of years for it to decay naturally*.
This waste is a time bomb waiting to go off even with the so called "safest" underground storage systems.
bi-products of fission include plutonium that can be enriched to make nuclear weapons.
The reactor use and storage of waste is one of the highest risks, due either from possible natural disasters, terrorism, safety system failure or just human error (see Chernobyl disaster).
The above items are just facts, if they instil alarm then rightly so.
Should politicians push ahead with making new nuclear fission power plants? Despite the facts above; this like many decisions we face is not an easy one to answer.
As fission reactor technology improves the risks associated with this form of CO2 free energy generation reduces.
In the UK, USA and Russia unfortunately already have large quantities of nuclear waste and the amount of additional waste added to this stock pile from new much safer reactor designs is relatively small.
Safety Protection systems in the newest designs are orders of magnitude better with almost no chance of a melt down scenario that happened on three mile island in the USA.
Types of radioactive waste (radwaste) information from WNA
Low-level Waste is generated from hospitals, laboratories and industry, as well as the nuclear fuel cycle. It comprises paper, rags, tools, clothing, filters etc. which contain small amounts of mostly short-lived radioactivity. It is not dangerous to handle, but must be disposed of more carefully than normal garbage. Usually it is buried in shallow landfill sites. To reduce its volume, it is often compacted or incinerated (in a closed container) before disposal. Worldwide it comprises 90% of the volume but only 1% of the radioactivity of all radwaste.
Intermediate-level Waste contains higher amounts of radioactivity and may require special shielding. It typically comprises resins, chemical sludges and reactor components, as well as contaminated materials from reactor decommissioning. Worldwide it makes up 7% of the volume and has 4% of the radioactivity of all radwaste. It may be solidified in concrete or bitumen for disposal. Generally short-lived waste (mainly from reactors) is buried, but long-lived waste (from reprocessing nuclear fuel) will be disposed of deep underground.
High-level Waste may be the used fuel itself, or the principal waste from reprocessing this. 3% of the volume of all radwaste, it holds 95% of the radioactivity. It contains the highly-radioactive fission products and some heavy elements with long-lived radioactivity. It generates a considerable amount of heat and requires cooling, as well as special shielding during handling and transport. If the used fuel is reprocessed, the separated waste is vitrified by incorporating it into borosilicate (Pyrex) glass which is sealed inside stainless steel canisters for eventual disposal deep underground.
On the other hand, if used reactor fuel is not reprocessed, all the highly-radioactive isotopes remain in it, and so the whole fuel assemblies are treated as high-level waste. This used fuel takes up about nine times the volume of equivalent vitrified high-level waste which results from reprocessing and which is encapsulated ready for disposal.
Both high-level waste and used fuel are very radioactive and people handling them must be shielded from their radiation. Such materials are shipped in special containers which prevent the radiation leaking out and which will not rupture in an accident.
Whether used fuel is reprocessed or not, the volume of high-level waste is modest, - about 3 cubic metres per year of vitrified waste or 25-30 tonnes of used fuel for a typical large nuclear reactor. The relatively small amount involved allows it to be effectively and economically isolated.
* Claim is "After being buried for about 1000 years most of the radioactivity will have decayed. The amount of radioactivity then remaining would be similar to that of the naturally-occurring uranium ore from which it originated, though it would be more concentrated." the words to watch here are about and concentrated, Even if it was just a 1000 years how can we warn people a whole millennium from now not to go near this stuff?
Fusion-Fission Reactors could greatly see the amount of low and intermediate waste stockpiles reduced
External Links (opened in a new window)
WNA World Nuclear Association - waste management
GIF IV generation fission reactor 2015-2030 - The Generation IV International Forum