It's Time to Make a Plan for Nuclear Waste

["Today, nuclear energy enjoys a rare moment of support across the political spectrum in the US. Interest from tech companies scrambling to meet demand for massive data centers has sparked a resurgence of money and attention in the industry. That newfound interest is exactly why it's time to talk about an old problem: nuclear waste.", "In the US alone, nuclear reactors produce about 2,000 metric tons of high-level waste each year.

And there's nowhere to put it. Though newly popular, the nuclear program in the US is nothing new. The US hosts more reactors and production capacity than any other country in the world.

And yet nearly seven decades after the first permanent nuclear facility in the US went online, there's still not a long-term solution for nuclear waste.", "Used fuel is largely stored onsite at operating and shut-down reactors, in pools and casks made of steel and concrete. Experts generally agree that these methods are safe, but they're not designed to be permanent. The leading strategy around the world for long-term storage of this high-level radioactive waste is to house it in a deep geological repository—dig a hole, put radioactive material down there, and fill it up with concrete.", "Finland is the furthest along in implementing this strategy; as of 2026, the country is testing its facility, with final approvals expected soon and operations could start later this year.

France, home to over 50 nuclear reactors, has the world's most established program for reprocessing spent fuel, but it still plans to build a repository, with initial approvals possible later this decade and pilot operations starting up by 2035. The US, however, has stalled on its Yucca Mountain site in Nevada, which was designated by Congress in 1987 but has seen no activity since 2011.", "Given the new interest in nuclear energy and the impending arrival of new types of nuclear waste, it's time for nuclear companies and their powerful customers to push for progress on building geological storage facilities. The US should aim to join the leaders rather than continue to lag behind.

Directing even a small fraction of the recent surge in funding and attention to progress on waste could make a difference. Some experts are calling for a new organization in the US to manage nuclear waste rather than leaving it to the Department of Energy.", "The process of planning, building, and commissioning a permanent solution for nuclear waste is a long one. Finland started planning in the 1980s and selected its site in the early 2000s, and it's nearly ready to start accepting waste.

For countries that don't have a permanent storage solution sorted, the best time to start was decades ago. But the second-best time is now."]