Integrating Socially Led Co-Design into Consent-Based Siting of Interim Storage Facilities

In the past, siting used nuclear fuel facilities has been challenging in the US. A common thread in previous efforts relates to the role of potential host communities (PHCs) to engage during the siting process. Traditionally, siting programs have not enabled community members to meaningfully shape what it is that they are being asked to host. The facility design is typically predetermined, shaped by program goals and regulatory requirements. Therefore, when consent is sought, community representatives have not been meaningfully engaged in conversations about the ways in which variations in design can - while meeting or exceeding regulatory requirements - better match community identity and aspirations. We posit that siting programs need to integrate more robust engagement with communities about the program and facility so that they are truly consent-based. This project is exploring a qualitatively different approach to engaging with PHCs about siting interim storage facilities (ISFs). This new approach engages with PHCs to participate in collaborative design ("co-design") of a prospective facility with project engineers and explore the implications of this new approach for potential decision-making and project outcomes. The panel will discuss ways in which the co-design approach has been developed and implemented in the project so far. Members of the core research team will utilize a roundtable discussion format to reflect on the prospective strengths of co-design for consent-based siting, and potential weaknesses. The discussion will also highlight strategies for deep collaborative research, spanning multiple disciplines. Finally, the panel will present some key results from surveys and workshops conducted and steps for future research.