Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Casks - Global Market Size, Regional Analysis, Competitive Landscape and Key Country Analysis to 2020

Friday 31 May 2013, Amsterdam

North America to Lead the Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Casks Market up to 2020

The North American region, with around 123 operating reactors, generated the largest amount of demand for dry casks for spent nuclear fuel between 2006 and 2012. Demand is expected to further increase during the forecast period from 2013 to 2020, as a number of reactors are expected to come online during this period. The second largest amount of demand for dry casks was registered Europe, and the market in this region is expected to register substantial growth during the forecast  period.

Germany, Canada and the US to Represent More than Half of Dry Cask Demand from 2013 to 2020

Germany, Canada and the US are expected to account for a combined share of more than 60% of demand for dry casks for the storage of spent nuclear fuel globally during the forecast period from 2013 to2020. The US, which has the largest number of operating nuclear reactors of any country worldwide, is expected to add around 2,000–2,400 tons of Heavy Metal (tHM) of spent nuclear fuel to its existing dry storage inventory per annum during this period. However, Canada is expected to generate the highest amount of demand for dry casks, which can be largely attributed to the country’s heavy reliance upon Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs). PHWRs, which typically have low burn-up rates, consume substantial quantities of low-enriched uranium, which produces a large volume of spent nuclear fuel. Germany is expected to be the largest market in Europe for dry casks, due to the country’s large fleet of dry SNF storage facilities, which accommodate large volumes of SNF. The figure below illustrates the shares of aggregate dry cask demand that are expected to be accounted for by Germany, Canada and the US during the forecast period from 2013 to 2020.

Public Opposition to be a Major Hurdle Faced by Countries Keen on Developing Deep Geological Spent Fuel Repositories

Many countries operating nuclear reactors with a substantial spent nuclear fuel inventory are looking to develop deep geological repositories in order to ensure the safe and long-term management of SNF. Countries such as the US, Germany, Japan and Spain, among others, are looking to develop deep geological repositories, but face stiff public opposition due to safety, security, environmental acceptability, and economic viability issues. Resolving these issues is of paramount importance if public confidence is to be won, which can be accomplished through the development of solutions through Research andDevelopment (R&D).