Location systems analysis of away-from-reactor spent-fuel storage facilities in the eastern United States. Final report

A site selection model to support away-from-reactor (AFR) spent fuel siting decisions has been developed. The model has two unique features. For the first time, decisions on AFR location, reactor-AFR assignments and the routing of spent fuel shipments can be analyzed simultaneously in an optimization framework. The model is also multi-objective, providing an explicit analysis of the tradeoffs between a surrogate for spent fuel shipping costs and a measure of public attitudes toward spent fuel shipments. The current data base for the model is restricted to the United States east of the Mississippi River and to spent fuel transport by highway. Data inputs include distances along arcs in the highway network, populations within a transportation environment zone centered on arcs in the highway network, and spent fuel shipping rates by reactor which were provided by the Department of Energy using DISFUL program. The model can be applied to a variety of policy issues and questions, in addition to AFR location, reactor assignment and spent fuel routing decisions. The model can be used to analyze AFR scheduling, routing policy, the relationship between AFR and repository location decisions and the disposition of spent fuel from foreign sources