Document: NUREG-1555
Document ID: e6522906-ea8a-4279-a417-3ba3eec01014
Document Type: esrp
Title: URANIUM FUEL CYCLE IMPACTS
Source: NUREG-1555
Source URL: https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1555/initial/
Revision Date: 2007-10
Chapter: 5
Section ID: 5.7
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Content:
ed on the net electrical power output of the proposed project. Details on the staff’s analysis and conclusions are found in NUREG-1437. A summary of the some of the specific impacts from the uranium fuel cycle and solid waste management issues that are relevant to this ESRP are described below as well as locations in NUREG-1437 on where to obtain additional details. A. Land Use A discussion of land-use impacts can be found in Section 6.2.2.6 of NUREG 1437. The total annual land requirement for the fuel cycle supporting a model 1000 MW(e) LWR is about 46 hectares (113 acres). Approximately 5 hectares (13 acres) are permanently committed land, and 41 hectares (100 acres) are temporarily committed. (A “temporary” land commitment is a commitment for the life of the specific fuel cycle plant, e.g., mill, enrichment plant, or succeeding plants. On abandonment or decommissioning, such land can be used for any purpose. “Permanent” commitments represent land that may not be released for use after plant shutdown and/or decommissioning.) Of the 41 hectares per year of tempo- rarily committed land, 32 hectares (79 acres) are undisturbed and 9 hectares (22 acres) are disturbed. Considering common classes of land use in the United States, fuel cycle land-use requirements to support the model 1000 MW(e) LWR do not represent a significant impact. In comparison, a coal fired power plant of 1000 MW(e) capacity using strip mined coal requires the disturbance of about 81 hectares (200 acres) per year for fuel alone. B. Water Use A discussion of water-use impacts can be found in Section 6.2.2.7 of NUREG 1437. The principal water- use requirement for the fuel cycle supporting a model 1000 MW(e) LWR is that required to remove waste heat from the power stations supplying electrical energy to the enrichment step of this cycle. Of the total annual requirement of 43 × 106 m3 (11.4 × 109 gal), about 42 × 106 m3 are required October 1999 5.7-7 NUREG-1555 for this purpose, assuming