A Soviet view of the pros and cons of reprocessing

From the very outset of nuclear technology, two different paths for the production of fissile materials have been developed. One of them, enrichment, involves concentration of the fissile isotope uranium-235 (U-235) by physical processes. The second requires the production of plutonium-239 (Pu-239) in a reactor core, followed by reprocessing to chemically separate the plutonium from the residual uranium. Both these processes are in use at the present time. However, individual countries have nuclear policies which may differ in the relative importance given to each. Since the mid-1950s the emphasis has been on developing commercial reactors fuelled with enriched uranium, and the overwhelming majority of the more than 400 nuclear power units now operating in 25 countries use this type of fuel. Efforts to develop more efficient enrichment techniques have continued, with the USSR and the Urenco countries improving centrifuge technology. The nature of the fuel cycle needed in the future will depend on which new type of reactor is introduced. The possibilities for Russia are considered, taking the radiological and environmental implications into consideration. It is concluded that the uranium enrichment industry and the supplies of plutonium already available would be able to supply the long-term fuel supply for nuclear power for any type of advanced reactors foreseen. (author)