Question : Re-cycling Technology for Nuclear Spent Fuel

(a) whether it is a fact that the country doesn''t possess recycling facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) from Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR)/Light Water Reactor(LWR) reactors, so as of now, the SNF from Kudankulam will be stored in Away From Reactor(AFR) itself;

(b) the Status of building AFR for Units 1&2 in Kudankulam and whether the Government is scouting for re-cycling technology to reprocess SNF from PWR/LWR reactors and if so, the details thereof; and

(c) whether the Government has finalized places in India to setup India''s Deep Geological Repository(DGR) permanently to store SNF and if so, the places under consideration to set-up the DGR?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR.JITENDRA SINGH):

(a) The spent nuclear fuel from the nuclear power reactors at Kudankulam will be stored initially in the spent fuel storage pools within the reactor buildings and thereafter in the Away From Reactor (AFR) facility to be set up at the site, till it is taken for reprocessing.

(b) Presently the process of obtaining various clearances for setting up the AFR at Kudankulam is in progress.

(c) India is pursuing a closed fuel cycle, where the quantity of radioactive waste generated is very less. Further technologies for separation, partitioning and burning of waste are being developed in the country, which will further bring down the quantity of radioactive waste. Considering the small quantity of radioactive waste, there is no need for Deep Geological Repository in near future.

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