Impact of Category II Materials on Back End Activities (ISFSI, CISF, Transportaion, Recycling)

With the majority of the currently proposed advanced reactor concepts requiring the use of HALEU (i.e., uranium enriched to greater than 10% but less than 20% U-235) fuel, the NRC's regulation on the Physical Protection of Plants and Materials (10 CFR 73) requires additional protections for HALEU (sometimes referred to as a Category II material) compared to the currently used LEU fuels (Category III material). This panel will discuss the potential impacts on the back end of the fuel cycle (e.g., interim storage, transportation, and recycling) as a result of using this Category II material over Category III material.