Nuclear Facilities Siting

A review of the status of requirements for the selection of sites for the facilities comprising the nuclear fuel cycle for electric power production. The report includes a summary of the legal and regulatory constraints that have resulted in complex and lengthy process for licensing of nuclear facilities. The nuclear fuel cycle, including the post-reactor operations of spent fuel reprocessing and waste disposal, is reviewed. Site evaluation factors for each major activity in the fuel cycle include geology, hydrology, demography, geography, meteorology, ecology, and institutional and social aspects. An analysis of current methods available for site evaluation are described. The report concludes with analysis of current issues affecting the ability of the nation's industry to license suitable sites for the many types of facility needed in the nuclear fuel cycle. The report should be of interest to civil engineers concerned with the resolution of technical problems of facility site selection.