Book Description

The total-system life-cycle cost (TSLCC) analysis for the Department of Energy's (DOE) Civilian Radioactive Waste Management Program is an ongoing activity that helps determine whether the revenue-producing mechanism established by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 -- a fee levied on electricity generated in commercial nuclear power plants -- is sufficient to cover the cost of the program. This report provides cost estimates for the sixth annual evaluation of the adequacy of the fee and is consistent with the program strategy and plans contained in the DOE's Draft 1988 Mission Plan Amendment. The total-system cost for the system with a repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a facility for monitored retrievable storage (MRS), and a transportation system is estimated at$24 billion (expressed in constant 1988 dollars). In the event that a second repository is required and is authorized by the Congress, the total-system cost is estimated at$31 to$33 billion, depending on the quantity of spent fuel to be disposed of. The$7 billion cost savings for the single-repository system in comparison with the two-repository system is due to the elimination of$3 billion for second-repository development and$7 billion for the second-repository facility. These savings are offset by$2 billion in additional costs at the first repository and$1 billion in combined higher costs for the MRS facility and transportation. 55 refs., 2 figs., 24 tabs.