The Department of Energy manages about 2,500 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel
generated from research and development, plutonium production, and the Naval Nuclear
Propulsion Program (Naval Reactors). Under current national policy, the Department is
to permanently dispose of its spent fuel in an underground repository, but an appropriate
repository is not expected to be available until at least 201 0. Until then, the Department
plans to consolidate its spent fuel at interim storage sites deemed to have the most
appropriate skills, facilities, and technologies: the Hanford Site in Washington; the Idaho
National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory; and, the Savannah River Site in
South Carolina.}e
