Spent Fuel Management

Spent Fuel Management 

Spent fuel is reprocessed to extract and recycle uranium and plutonium so as to maximize resource utilization, reduce the amount of high-level radioactive waste, and ensure effective spent fuel management and public safety. A special fund has been set up to promote safe storage, transportation and reprocessing of spent fuel discharged from nuclear power plants, and safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste. 

Existing away-from-reactor wet storage facilities have a combined storage capacity of 1,300 tons. Away-from-reactor wet storage facilities under construction will add another 1,200-ton storage capacity. Also being built are dry canisters at the reactor sites, able to store 550 tons of spent fuel. Specialized companies have been established for the transportation of spent fuel. An overall plan has been developed under the direction of the Ministry of Transport and the National Railway Administration to build a spent fuel transportation system. 

A pilot plant for spent fuel reprocessing was commissioned in 2010. Construction of a larger-scale demonstration project for spent fuel reprocessing started in 2017 based on the experience of building the pilot plant. At the same time, negotiation is underway on the construction of a large commercial plant with an 800-ton spent fuel reprocessing capacity to be built in cooperation with France. 

乏燃料管理

中国的乏燃料管理政策是实施乏燃料后处理，提取回收铀、钚材料，以实现资源的最大化利用，减少高放废物量，确保乏燃料管理安全和公众安全。中国设立了核电厂乏燃料处理处置基金，用于乏燃料贮存、运输、后处理和高放废物处置。

目前，中国已建成 1300吨湿法离堆贮存能力，正在建设 1200吨湿法离堆贮存能力和 550吨干法屏蔽罐在堆贮存能力。中国建立了专业化的运输公司，在国家交通运输部、国家铁路局等的统筹规划下，正在着力构建乏燃料运输体系。

中国乏燃料后处理中试厂于 2010年成功实现热调试。 2017年，以中试厂为基础，已启动乏燃料后处理厂示范工程建设。与此同时，中法合作建设 800吨大型商用后处理厂的项目正在进行商务谈判。