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2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Integrating Waste Management for Advanced Reactors: The Universal Canister System and Project UPWARDS
When the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy launched the Optimizing Nuclear Waste and Advanced Reactor Disposal Systems (ONWARDS) program in 2022, it posed a challenge that the nuclear industry had never seriously confronted before: how to design waste management solutions that anticipate the coming shift to advanced reactors and not merely retrofit existing systems built for an older generation of technology. The program’s objectives were ambitious—reduce disposal footprint, enable scalable pathways for unfamiliar waste streams, and build the technical foundations for future disposal—yet also tightly grounded in the realities of emerging nuclear fuel cycles. For the nuclear community, this was a timely call. Advanced reactors were accelerating toward deployment, but the waste management systems needed to support them had not kept pace.
Siti Alimah, Khusnul Khotimah, Budi Santoso, Sriyono, Kurnia Anzhar, Chevy Cahyana, Agus Teguh Pranoto, Joko Waluyo, Rismiyanto, Hadi Suntoko, Sriyana, Fepriadi, Nicholas Bertony Saputra
Nuclear Technology | Volume 212 | Number 2 | February 2026 | Pages 461-475
Regular Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2025.2472522
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Human-induced external events are required for site evaluations to obtain site approval for nuclear power plants (NPPs). National regulations for site evaluations require contemporary standards for site safety. The standards in Indonesia, namely, guidelines for determining the site of nuclear reactors, are incomplete and have not accommodated legal and technical developments, so do not meet current regulatory requirements.
This study aims to enhance the standards for human-induced external event aspects to comply with national safety provisions for evaluating NPP sites in Indonesia. Qualitative research methods are employed, including the identification of requirements for human-induced external events in standards, gap analysis of standards against regulation from the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency No. 4 of 2018 referring to International Atomic Energy Agency Safety Standards, and follow-up to the action plan, as a recommendation for revision of the standards. Enhancements to the standards include a detailed explanation of evaluation stages, new clauses relevant to human-induced external events, a refined methodology, and a thorough evaluation of potential hazards from various sources. These findings will guide the enhancement of nuclear safety frameworks by integrating international standards. More detailed standards are expected to improve local practices and contribute to global atomic safety initiatives.