El Organismo Internacional de Energ\u00eda At\u00f3mica (OIEA o IAEA) lanz\u00f3 una nueva herramienta digital interactiva. Se trata de un mapa global que revela la ubicaci\u00f3n y el estado del combustible nuclear consumido en todo el mundo. De acuerdo con los datos presentados, el planeta acumula actualmente unas 494,000 toneladas de estos residuos. Este mapa busca aumentar la transparencia y mejorar la gesti\u00f3n segura de los materiales radiactivos utilizados. La acumulaci\u00f3n de estos desechos plantea un reto log\u00edstico y ambiental para la energ\u00eda limpia, por lo que varios pa\u00edses est\u00e1n desarrollando repositorios geol\u00f3gicos profundos como soluci\u00f3n definitiva y segura. Finlandia lidera estos esfuerzos con su proyecto Onkalo, el primero en su tipo a nivel mundial. Esta herramienta tambi\u00e9n ayuda a conciliar datos cient\u00edficos para optimizar futuras infraestructuras y con ello, la IAEA ofrece un recurso clave frente al debate actual sobre el crecimiento de la energ\u00eda nuclear.<\/p>\n
The world\u2019s nuclear power plants have produced an estimated 448,000 tonnes (494,000 U.S. tons) of spent nuclear fuel, highlighting both the scale of global nuclear energy production and one of the industry\u2019s most persistent long-term challenges: what to do with the waste once reactors have finished using it.<\/p>\n
The figure comes from a newly released interactive mapping tool developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), offering what the agency describes as the most comprehensive publicly available picture yet of where the world\u2019s spent nuclear fuel is located and how it is being managed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The tool arrives as many countries are expanding or reconsidering nuclear power as a low-carbon energy source, placing renewed attention on how radioactive waste is stored, recycled, and ultimately disposed of.<\/p>\n
A global snapshot of nuclear waste<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the IAEA, the newly launched Global Spent Nuclear Fuel Inventory Tool draws on data submitted by countries under the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel Management and on the Safety of Radioactive Waste Management.<\/p>\n The interactive platform allows users to explore spent-fuel inventories by country, region, and storage method, replacing decades of fragmented estimates with a single, standardized dataset.<\/p>\n The\u00a0IAEA estimates<\/a>\u00a0that roughly 448,000 tonnes (494,000 U.S. tons) of heavy metal, the standard unit used to measure uranium and other heavy elements in reactor fuel, have been discharged from nuclear power reactors worldwide.<\/p>\n Of that total, approximately 322,000 tonnes (355,000 U.S. tons) remain in storage, while around 126,000 tonnes (139,000 U.S. tons) have been reprocessed. Reprocessing allows some usable materials to be recovered and manufactured into new\u00a0nuclear fuel<\/a>, reducing both the demand for freshly mined uranium and the volume of high-level waste requiring disposal.<\/p>\n Where the fuel is stored<\/strong><\/p>\n The\u00a0data also provides<\/a>\u00a0insight into how countries manage spent nuclear fuel after it leaves a reactor. According to the IAEA, about 41% of the world\u2019s spent fuel inventory is currently held in wet storage systems. These are typically water-filled pools at reactor sites where fuel assemblies are cooled and shielded after being removed from the reactor core.<\/p>\n Another 31% is stored in dry storage systems, including concrete casks, metal containers, storage buildings, and modular facilities designed to safely contain\u00a0radioactive material<\/a>\u00a0without relying on water for cooling.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The agency notes that many countries have gradually shifted older fuel from wet pools into dry storage over the past several decades, reflecting evolving waste-management strategies and the need to free up reactor storage capacity.<\/p>\n Among dry-storage technologies, ventilated vertical storage units account for the largest share, holding more than 50,000 tonnes (55,000 U.S. tons) of spent fuel worldwide.<\/p>\n Why does spent fuel remain a major challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n While nuclear power produces very low operational carbon emissions, spent fuel management remains one of the industry\u2019s most debated issues. Used nuclear fuel remains highly radioactive and continues to generate heat long after it is removed from a reactor. As a result, it must be carefully managed for decades and, in some cases, thousands of years.<\/p>\n Most countries currently rely on interim storage systems while developing long-term disposal solutions. Finland is preparing to commission the world\u2019s first\u00a0deep geological repository<\/a>\u00a0for spent nuclear fuel, a facility designed to isolate radioactive material deep underground for extremely long periods. Several other nations are pursuing similar strategies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The IAEA says the new inventory tool is intended to support technical analysis and help policymakers, researchers, and the public better understand how different countries are approaching this challenge.<\/p>\n Bringing transparency to a growing industry<\/strong><\/p>\n As global interest in nuclear energy grows, so too does the importance of understanding what happens after fuel leaves a reactor. \u201cThe newly developed IAEA spent fuel data tool provides a transparent and accessible platform for exploring spent fuel management strategies across Member States,\u201d said Amparo Gonzalez Espartero, Technical Lead in the IAEA Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology.<\/p>\n By bringing together information from countries around the world into a single interactive platform, the agency hopes to improve transparency and support informed discussions about one of nuclear energy\u2019s most important long-term responsibilities.<\/p>\n Check out the\u00a0IAEA\u2019s Global Spent Nuclear Fuel Inventory here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n