Advanced nuclear reactors can recycle spent nuclear fuel

One of the concerns around nuclear energy is waste. Conventional reactors extract only a portion of the energy in their fuel, leaving behind radioactive material that can last for thousands of years. Because this spent fuel cannot be reused without additional processing, it continues to accumulate.

The federal government promised to resolve this issue by developing a centralized repository at Yucca Mountain, but that promise was never fulfilled. As a result, every nuclear plant in the country—including Arizona’s Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station—must store its spent fuel on-site in pools and steel-and-concrete casks, where it may remain for decades. Today, roughly 95,000 metric tons of spent nuclear waste are scattered across the United States—an unresolved challenge sitting in plain sight.

To be clear, dry cask storage is safe. Radiation levels outside the canisters are lower than what a person would receive from eating a banana or taking a cross-country flight, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission reports that, since they were first loaded in 1986, no radiation has ever been released from the canisters in a way that affected public health or the environment. The footprint is also remarkably small. According to industry experts, all the spent nuclear fuel produced by the U.S. nuclear industry over the past 70 years could fit on a single football field.

Even so, nuclear waste remains a flashpoint for opposition. For some, no level of containment is sufficient. The very existence of nuclear waste is viewed as a moral failing—a symbol of humanity’s lasting impact on the planet. To these critics, the issue is not safety; it is that the waste exists at all.

Most Americans, however, are not engaged in a moral crusade against nuclear energy. They are pragmatic and understand that every energy source has tradeoffs. Wind turbine blades pile up in landfills. Solar panels leach toxic metals into the environment. The difference is that renewables have yet to develop viable recycling solutions, while nuclear energy is actively seeking to reduce and reuse its waste.

For innovators, nuclear waste represents an opportunity—an untapped resource waiting to be harnessed. Across the country, private companies and researchers are investing in the next generation of advanced reactors, which are designed to convert spent nuclear fuel into reliable, abundant energy.

Oklo, for example, is designing a compact microreactor to use recycled nuclear material as fuel. Backed by private investors and the U.S. Department of Energy, the company employs a process known as electrorefining to extract usable elements from spent fuel rods—recycling material that would otherwise remain buried for millennia.

Moltex Energy is developing a molten salt reactor capable of dissolving and consuming radioactive materials. With support from Canada and the United Kingdom, Moltex aims to recycle existing nuclear waste and convert it into usable heat and power, reducing radioactive lifespans from thousands of years to just a few hundred.

TerraPower, backed by Bill Gates, is designing a reactor that uses high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) to achieve higher efficiency and greater fuel burnup than conventional reactors. By extracting more energy from each unit of fuel, its Natrium reactor is expected to produce less radioactive waste per unit of electricity generated.

Together, these designs do more than slow the creation of new waste—they actively reduce the volume of existing waste already in storage. Some fast reactor designs with recycling capabilities can extract up to sixty times more energy per unit of uranium than conventional reactors, while dramatically shortening waste half-lives, reducing long-term radioactivity and environmental impact.

The environmental and economic potential is significant. Recycling spent fuel through these advanced reactors could substantially reduce the U.S. nuclear waste stockpile while generating millions of kilowatt-hours of clean, reliable energy. As Oklo co-founder Jake DeWitte noted, the energy contained in today’s spent nuclear fuel could power the United States for 150 years. Palo Verde alone stores roughly 3,000 metric tons of spent fuel on-site—effectively a massive gold mine sitting in our backyard but with no new mining required.

Ultimately, the real question is not whether nuclear waste exists, but how it is managed. On that front, nuclear has the strongest record of any major energy source. With advanced reactors capable of reducing, reusing, and recycling waste, that record is only improving.

The presence of nuclear waste is no longer a valid excuse to delay the deployment of new nuclear energy technology. Advanced reactors offer a practical solution to long-standing concerns while delivering cleaner, safer, and more reliable power. It is time to unlock this technology and support the next generation of nuclear energy here in Arizona.

Michael Carbone is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives representing Legislative District 25 and serves as House Majority Leader. Follow him on X at @MichaelCarbone.

Nick Kupper is a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 25 which includes portions of Maricopa, Yuma, and La Paz Counties. He also serves as Vice Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee. Follow him on X at @realnickkupper.