It’s time to make a plan for nuclear waste

是时候为核废料制定计划了

Today, nuclear energy enjoys a rare moment of support across the political spectrum in the US. Interest from tech companies that are scrambling to meet demand for massive data centers has sparked a resurgence of money and attention in the industry. That newfound interest is exactly why it’s time to talk about an old problem: nuclear waste. 如今，核能在美国跨党派政治光谱中享受着难得的支持。科技公司为了满足庞大数据中心的电力需求而竞相投入，这为核能行业注入了新的资金与关注。正是这种新生的兴趣，让我们必须讨论一个老问题：核废料。

In the US alone, nuclear reactors produce about 2,000 metric tons of high-level waste each year. And there’s nowhere to put it. Though newly popular, the nuclear program in the US is nothing new. The US hosts more reactors and production capacity than any other country in the world. And yet nearly seven decades after the first permanent nuclear facility in the US went online, there’s still not a long-term solution for nuclear waste. 仅在美国，核反应堆每年就会产生约 2000 公吨的高放射性废料，且无处安放。尽管核能近期备受追捧，但美国的核能计划并非新鲜事。美国拥有的反应堆数量和产能位居全球之首。然而，自美国首座永久性核设施投入运营近七十年后，核废料的长期处理方案依然缺失。

Used fuel is largely stored onsite at operating and shut-down reactors, in pools and casks made of steel and concrete. Experts generally agree that these methods are safe, but they’re not designed to be permanent. The leading strategy around the world for long-term storage of this high-level radioactive waste is to house it in a deep geological repository—dig a hole, put radioactive material down there, and fill it up with concrete. These holes, hundreds of meters underground, are designed to be a permanent home. 乏燃料目前主要储存在运行中或已关闭的反应堆现场，存放在由钢和混凝土制成的水池及容器中。专家普遍认为这些方法是安全的，但它们并非为永久储存而设计。目前全球处理此类高放射性废料的主流长期储存策略是深地质处置库——即挖一个深坑，将放射性物质放入其中，并用混凝土填埋。这些位于地下数百米的深坑，旨在成为废料的永久归宿。

There aren’t any operating geological repositories for spent fuel yet, but some countries are well on their way. Finland is the furthest along; as of 2026, the country is testing its facility. Final approvals are expected soon, and operations could start later this year. Some other countries aren’t far behind. 目前尚无投入运营的乏燃料深地质处置库，但一些国家已取得显著进展。芬兰走在最前列；截至 2026 年，该国正在对其设施进行测试。最终审批预计很快完成，运营可能在今年晚些时候启动。其他一些国家也紧随其后。

France is home to over 50 nuclear reactors, and its grid gets more of its power from nuclear than any other. The country also has the world’s most established program for reprocessing spent fuel. The process separates out the plutonium and uranium to create a type of fuel known as mixed oxide (MOX) fuel. But reprocessing isn’t a perfect recycling loop, so the leftovers from this process still need somewhere to go. The country currently stores waste onsite at the La Hague reprocessing plant, but it plans to build a repository. Initial approvals could come later this decade, and pilot operations could start up by 2035. 法国拥有 50 多座核反应堆，其电网的核能占比位居全球第一。该国还拥有世界上最成熟的乏燃料后处理计划。该工艺通过分离钚和铀来制造一种称为混合氧化物（MOX）的燃料。但后处理并非完美的循环回收，因此该过程产生的残留物仍需妥善安置。法国目前将废料储存在拉阿格（La Hague）后处理厂现场，但计划建造一个处置库。初步审批可能在本世纪 30 年代前完成，试点运营最早可于 2035 年启动。

Technically, the US also has a destination for its spent fuel: Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The site, which is on federal land, was designated by Congress in 1987. However, progress has entirely stalled out because of political opposition. In 2011, the federal government stopped providing funding for the site, and for roughly a decade, there’s been no activity to speak of. In the meantime, waste continues to pile up. 从技术上讲，美国也有一个乏燃料处置目的地：内华达州的尤卡山（Yucca Mountain）。该地点位于联邦土地上，由国会于 1987 年指定。然而，由于政治阻力，进展完全停滞。2011 年，联邦政府停止了对该项目的拨款，大约十年来几乎没有任何实质性进展。与此同时，核废料仍在不断堆积。

The nuclear industry is kicking into a new gear around the world. China is home to the world’s fastest-growing nuclear energy program, and countries including Bangladesh and Turkey are building their first reactors. Even the long-established US program is seeing growth: Interest in and approval for nuclear energy have spiked, and Big Tech is throwing money around to meet rising electricity demand. Companies are proposing (and beginning to receive regulatory approval for) next-generation reactors, which employ different coolants, fuels, and designs. 全球核能行业正在加速发展。中国拥有世界上增长最快的核能计划，孟加拉国和土耳其等国也在建设其首座反应堆。即使是历史悠久的美国核能项目也在增长：对核能的兴趣和审批激增，大型科技公司为了满足日益增长的电力需求正投入巨资。各公司正在提出（并开始获得监管批准）采用不同冷却剂、燃料和设计的新一代反应堆。

Given all this new interest, and the impending arrival of new types of nuclear waste, it’s time for nuclear companies, as well as their powerful customers, to push for progress on building geological storage facilities. As the richest country on the planet and home to a large chunk of the activity in next-generation reactors, the US should aim to join the leaders rather than continue to lag behind. Directing even a small fraction of the recent surge in funding and attention to progress on waste could make a difference. 鉴于这些新的关注点以及即将产生的新型核废料，核能公司及其强大的客户是时候推动地质储存设施的建设进展了。作为全球最富有的国家，同时也是新一代反应堆研发活动的主要基地，美国应致力于跻身领先行列，而非继续落后。将近期激增的资金和关注度中哪怕一小部分投入到废料处理的进展中，也能产生积极影响。

Some experts are calling for a new organization in the US to manage nuclear waste rather than leaving it to the Department of Energy. This organization would mirror programs in Finland, Canada, and France. The process of planning, building, and commissioning a permanent solution for nuclear waste is a long one. Finland started planning in the 1980s and selected its site in the early 2000s, and it’s nearly ready to start accepting waste. For countries that don’t have a permanent storage solution sorted, the best time to start was decades ago. But the second-best time is now. 一些专家呼吁美国成立一个新的组织来管理核废料，而不是将其留给能源部。该组织可以借鉴芬兰、加拿大和法国的模式。规划、建设和调试核废料永久性解决方案的过程漫长。芬兰在 20 世纪 80 年代开始规划，21 世纪初选定地点，如今已准备好接收废料。对于尚未解决永久储存方案的国家来说，最好的开始时间是几十年前，而第二个最好的时间就是现在。