The largest site reprocessing spent nuclear fuel worldwide in 2020 was the plant of La Hague, situated in France and managed by Orano Group. It had an annual capacity of 1,700 metric tons. Another large reprocessing site was Sellafield plant in the United Kingdom (UK), with a capacity of 1,500 metric tons per year. The UK accounted for a total capacity of 2,100 metric tons that year. Russia was the only other country in the world recycling spent nuclear fuel. Its capacity was forecast to increase reaching 1,200 metric tons in 2040.
During the recycling process of spent nuclear fuel, the fission products, which are radioactive and non-recyclable, are separated from re-usable uranium and plutonium. The fission products are only four percent of the total volume of spent nuclear fuel, and represent the nuclear waste, which is stored long-term until it loses its radioactivity.
Capacity of operational re-processing plants recycling spent nuclear fuel for civil use in NEA member countries and in the OECD area* in 2020 with a forecast to 2040
(in tons of heavy metal)
* Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development/ Nuclear Energy Association countries (OECD/NEA) members include
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Russia (suspended), the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United
Kingdom, and the United States.
Reprocessed fuel type in France and Russia is from light water reactors (LWR), while in the United Kingdom it is a mixture of fuel from Magnox reactors and other fuel types.
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OECD-NEA. (July 1, 2022). Capacity of operational re-processing plants recycling spent nuclear fuel for civil use in NEA member countries and in the OECD area* in 2020 with a forecast to 2040 (in tons of heavy metal) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 01, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339391/capacity-of-plants-reprocessing-spent-nuclear-fuel-worldwide/
OECD-NEA. "Capacity of operational re-processing plants recycling spent nuclear fuel for civil use in NEA member countries and in the OECD area* in 2020 with a forecast to 2040 (in tons of heavy metal)." Chart. July 1, 2022. Statista. Accessed December 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339391/capacity-of-plants-reprocessing-spent-nuclear-fuel-worldwide/
OECD-NEA. (2022). Capacity of operational re-processing plants recycling spent nuclear fuel for civil use in NEA member countries and in the OECD area* in 2020 with a forecast to 2040 (in tons of heavy metal). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 01, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339391/capacity-of-plants-reprocessing-spent-nuclear-fuel-worldwide/
OECD-NEA. "Capacity of Operational Re-processing Plants Recycling Spent Nuclear Fuel for Civil Use in Nea Member Countries and in The Oecd Area* in 2020 with a Forecast to 2040 (in Tons of Heavy Metal)." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jul 2022, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339391/capacity-of-plants-reprocessing-spent-nuclear-fuel-worldwide/
OECD-NEA, Capacity of operational re-processing plants recycling spent nuclear fuel for civil use in NEA member countries and in the OECD area* in 2020 with a forecast to 2040 (in tons of heavy metal) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339391/capacity-of-plants-reprocessing-spent-nuclear-fuel-worldwide/ (last visited December 01, 2024)
Capacity of operational re-processing plants recycling spent nuclear fuel for civil use in NEA member countries and in the OECD area* in 2020 with a forecast to 2040 (in tons of heavy metal) [Graph], OECD-NEA, July 1, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1339391/capacity-of-plants-reprocessing-spent-nuclear-fuel-worldwide/
