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2026 Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
August 24–27, 2026
Dallas, TX|Hilton Anatole
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Savannah River Site completes concrete work for Saltstone Disposal Unit 11
The Savannah River Site has completed all concrete construction on its “mega-size” Saltstone Disposal Unit (SDU) 11 at the Saltstone Disposal Facility in Aiken, S.C. The several SDUs at the site are designed to provide safe, permanent storage for decontaminated salt solution from the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) as production is ramped up. The SDUs are crucial components of SRS’s liquid waste program, allowing the site to meet the cleanup responsibilities of the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management.
F. D’Auria, E. Zio
Nuclear Technology | Volume 212 | Number 3 | March 2026 | Pages 796-808
Regular Note | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2025.2478740
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The situation of the nuclear technology and nuclear industry is there for all to see. On the one hand, China, India, and Russia, primarily, are continuously building new water-cooled large reactor units, while the remaining industrialized countries are discussing the best future nuclear technologies, reactor sizes, financial investments, and new materials for enhanced safety and improved efficiency. Despite not advocating any technology and being unable to forecast the future, we report on a number of more or less acceptable concerns and reflections derived from an interpretation of the history of fission nuclear technology and from the analysis of the current context.
The conclusion that emerges is that (fission) nuclear technology is entering a black hole, at least in the countries that contributed to its development, and that long-term strategies for the deployment of large reactor units, while in parallel optimizing different new reactor designs, is the needed and pursuable path to avoid falling into the abyss of forgetfulness.