**Executive Summary**
This document addresses a parliamentary question regarding the strategy for nuclear waste management in light of India's planned expansion to 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047. It outlines the Department of Atomic Energy's (DAE) waste management philosophy, practices, and research initiatives to minimize environmental impact and ensure public safety. The information was provided by Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Waste Management Philosophy and Practices:**
* Waste management aligns with current best practices and ensures that no waste is released into the environment unless cleared, exempted, or excluded from regulation.
* India employs a nearly closed nuclear fuel cycle to reprocess and recycle spent fuel, reducing radioactive waste.
* High-level waste is immobilized in a glass matrix via vitrification and stored in Solid Storage Surveillance Facilities for interim storage.
* Waste management practices adhere to international guidelines.
* Near Surface Disposal Facilities (NSDF) at existing sites are adequate for current waste generated at Nuclear Power Plants.
* **Expansion and Infrastructure:**
* Capacity of existing waste management facilities will be enhanced, or new facilities will be constructed, depending on site conditions, to ensure safety with nuclear power expansion.
* **Research and Development:**
* R&D focuses on partitioning technologies to segregate long-lived radioactive constituents and extract useful radioisotopes.
* Research is being conducted on incinerating long-lived actinides separated from high-level waste using high energy accelerators and fast reactors.
* Success of these technologies aims to eliminate the need for a permanent disposal facility for high-level nuclear waste in the long term.
* **Small Modular Reactors (SMRs):**
* Slightly enriched uranium (SEU) is considered a potential fuel for SMRs.
* Waste management for SMRs will follow the same philosophy of recycling, recovery, volume reduction, vitrification, and interim storage.
**Impact Analysis**
**Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)**
* **Impact:** The DAE's existing waste management practices and future strategies are being publicly scrutinized. It showcases the DAE's commitment to safe and sustainable nuclear waste management.
* **Action Required:** Continue implementing and improving waste management practices, and pursue ongoing R&D efforts to minimize waste volume and environmental impact.
**Public / Environment**
* **Impact:** The public and environment are the ultimate beneficiaries of safe and effective nuclear waste management practices, with the assurance of safety protocols being followed.
* **Action Required:** None, as the document outlines existing and planned measures by the DAE.
Key Entities Referenced
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE): The primary agency responsible for managing nuclear waste and ensuring no waste is released without proper clearance.
Near Surface Disposal Facilities (NSDF): Existing facilities used for the safe storage of nuclear waste generated at Nuclear Power Plants.
Solid Storage Surveillance Facilities: Facilities used for the interim storage of high-level radioactive waste after vitrification.
International Atomic Energy Agency: An organization whose guidelines are followed for waste management practices in India.
Department of Atomic Energy
PARLIAMENT QUESTION: STRATEGY FOR
NUCLEAR WASTE MANAGEMENT
प्रव तथ: 29 JAN 2026 5:55PM by PIB Delhi
Management of nuclear waste that will be generated from the planned expansion to 100 GW by 2047 will
be in line with current waste management practices.
Waste management philosophy adopted by Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) ensures that no waste, in
any physical form, is released/disposed to the environment unless the same is cleared, exempted or
excluded from regulation.
India follows a nearly closed nuclear fuel cycle, where spent fuels from domestic sources are reprocessed
to recover the useful element for recycle/reuse and thereby, reduce the burden of radioactive wastes. The
fissile element recovered from reprocessing of spent fuel is recycled back as a fuel for future reactors.
High-level radioactive waste, amounting to a very small percentage of the spent fuel, generated during
reprocessing is then immobilised into an inert glass matrix by vitrification and placed in Solid Storage
Surveillance Facilities for interim storage.
The waste management practices, involving interim storage, treatment and disposal, being followed in
India are at par with international practices and as per the guidelines of International Atomic Energy
Agency. With the expansion of nuclear power in India, as per the site conditions either capacity of the
existing waste management facilities will be enhanced or new facilities will be constructed in order to
ensure the safety of the public and the environment.
The current capacities of Near Surface Disposal Facilities (NSDF) at existing sites are adequate for safe
storage of the waste generated at Nuclear Power Plants.
Research and development on partitioning technologies for management of high-level waste is in
progress. The technology facilitates for the segregation of long-lived radioactive constituents including
actinides and extraction of useful radioisotopes from high level radioactive waste for societal application
which will result in significant reduction of waste-volume prior to vitrification. Hence requirement of
establishing a deep geological repository in near future is not anticipated.
In India, research and development activities are being pursued to incinerate long-lived actinides separated
from high level waste to inactive or short-lived radioactive wastes using high energy accelerators and fast
reactors. DAE has active programs for both these options in its Amritkal Targets. The success in these
technologies is expected to eliminate the need for any permanent disposal facility for high-level nuclear
waste in long term.
Slightly enriched uranium (SEU) is considered as potential fuel for small modular reactors (SMRs). The
broader philosophy of nuclear waste management, for domestic fuel for SMRs, remains same to reduce
the overall nuclear waste burden through recycling of domestic fuel, recovery of useful radioisotope (if
any), volume reduction followed by vitrification in stable glass matrix and storage in Solid Storage
Surveillance Facilities for interim storage.This information given by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and
Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and
Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
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NKR/G
(रलीज़ आईडी: 2220284) आगंतुक पटल : 145