Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Worldwide Ignorance On Radiation Issues

re: Quote from ITER website

"The present assumption is that radioactive material not below the clearance level after 100 years is "waste", requiring disposal in a long-term repository. Estimates of material masses show that about 30,000 t of material will be radioactive at shutdown, and that 80% of that can be cleared within 100 years. "

source

So I conclude that ITER will produce approx. 6000 tonnes of radioactive waste that will require disposal in a long-term repository. This amount is equal to the waste produced by 138 full-sized commercial fission powerplants during a year of operation. There are only 230 such powerplants worldwide. In addition, ITER will only operate for 20 years before decommissioning, producing 24,000 tonnes of waste that will be dangerous for 100 years after. A series of ITER-style powerplants would therefore produce an increasing surplus of radioactive waste if built and operated sequentially for a 100 year span, such that only one fusion reactor were running at a time.

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