Scale economies in extended SNF storage

Fuel is periodically replaced in nuclear power plants (NPPs), generating "Spent Nuclear Fuel" (SNF). The paper attempts to calculate the relationships between the costs and the sizes of SNF storage facilities. This is done by estimating reduced-form equations based on publicly available data. The values reported here should not be considered as the only possible outcomes; they are used here to understand relative NPP owner economic incentives. The paper finds that once the NPP has been decommissioned, and only the on-site dry storage remains, there might not be a cost reason (from the point of view of the NPP owner/operator) to move the SNF to centralised facilities. However, there is a consensus that centralised facilities (a) would be more safe and secure than dispersed on-site storage locations, (b) would facilitate final disposal, and (c) can reduce the risks perceived by local communities near SNF storage facilities. (author)