Spent nuclear fuel arisings and storage by country

The major nuclear power producing country among the NEA/OECD members, the United States, accounted for the largest volume of spent nuclear fuel stored in the world, with over 86,000 tons of heavy metal in 2020. The largest volume of nuclear waste from spent nuclear fuel (arisings) was also in the country. Argentina followed, although this country only had three operable nuclear power reactors.
During the recycling process of spent nuclear fuel, the fission products (arisings), 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.

Spent nuclear fuel arisings and cumulative in storage in NEA/OECD countries* in 2020, by country (in tons of heavy metal)

Characteristic	Arisings	In storage
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Release date

July 2022

More information

Region

OECD

Survey time period

2020

Supplementary notes

* Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development/ Nuclear Energy Association countries (OECD/NEA) members include Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, 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.

Includes storage at the nuclear plants location and away from the nuclear plants.

** Includes fuel from light-water reactors (LWR) and fast reactors (FR).
*** Includes fuel from light-water reactors (LWR) and heavy water reactors (HWR).
**** Includes fuel from light-water reactors (LWR) and fast reactors (FR). Arisings figure not available, cumulative data for spent fuel in storage.
***** Includes fuel from light-water reactors (LWR), gas-cooled reactors (GCR), and others.

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