Since the arrival of nuclear power in the 1950s, more than 400 reactors in 31 countries have produced about 430,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel, and until now no one has developed a permanent solution for disposing of it. The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that about 30 percent of this fuel has been reprocessed—elements in spent fuel can be recycled to create new fuel for nuclear plants—but the rest has been “parked” in temporary storage systems, with its final destination yet to be determined.
And with the nuclear sector showing signs of undergoing a renaissance—as countries