PLENTIFUL ENERGY

uranium fuel fabrication), the economic incentive to recycle MOX fuel is weak. The
MOX fuel cycle cost is compared with uranium fuel in a closed fuel cycle in Table
13-6.
Table 13-6. Comparison of MOX with UOX in Closed Fuel Cycles, $/kgHM
UOX
MOX
Uranium 660 78
Conversion 70 8
Enrichment 770 0
Fabrication 275 1500
Reprocessing 610 610
Disposal Fee 120 120
Total 2505 2316
If reprocessing and MOX fabrication and associated plutonium reprocessing
facilities have been constructed and their capital costs have been amortized, then a
closed fuel cycle is affordable, although there is still some economic penalty. On
the other hand, if such infrastructure is not available, then there is no economic
incentive to reprocess and recycle in LWRs. That is the present situation in the U.S.
Another way of looking at the economic incentives for reprocessing and recycle
is to consider current spent fuel disposition. If spent fuel is disposed directly to a
repository, the 1 mill/kWh or $400/kg (at 50,000 MWD/T burnup) will be
sufficient. If the uranium price escalates, what level would it have to reach in order
to provide a serious incentive to recycle? As illustrated in Figure 13-5, assuming a
reprocessing cost of $1,000/kg, the uranium price has to escalate to about $120/lb
for recycle to be economically viable. Alternatively, if the reprocessing cost is
reduced to $500/kg, recycling can be economic even at a uranium price of $40/lb.
From an economic point of view only, LWR fuel cycle closure cannot be
justified under today‘s economic parameters, nor is it expected to be in the
foreseeable future. Nevertheless, in France and Japan, somewhat limited plutonium
recycling is being carried out, suggested as an interim step toward a longer-term full
fuel cycle closure with fast reactors.
Another potential justification for LWR recycle could be for waste management
purposes. But for any significant impact on waste management, the long-lived
actinides must be removed from the waste stream and burned in the reactor. This
isn‘t what‘s currently being done, and more importantly, the thermal spectrum of
LWRs will not burn the actinides efficiently, as we have discussed previously.
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