One of the consequences of a nuclear fuel cycle is the generation of radioactive waste, including spent nuclear fuel. Different nuclear fuel cycle choices result in both different amounts of spent nuclear fuel and different locations where that fuel is stored.
These figures show the amount of spent nuclear fuel generated by different nuclear fuel cycles, categorized by where the waste is located. (Hover over the legend for more details.)
Operating any energy system, including a nuclear energy system, has a variety of different costs, including the costs of the nuclear fuel cycle. Different nuclear fuel cycle choices result in both different total fuel cycle costs and different distributions of those costs.
These figures show the impact on the fuel cycle cost of different fuel cycle options, broken down by the cost for different ways to store and manage spent nuclear fuel. (Hover over the legend for more details.)