# The state and future of nuclear waste

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/catalyst-with-shayle-kann-4458041/the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/catalyst-with-shayle-kann-4458041/the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste.md
Podcast: [Catalyst with Shayle Kann](https://stenobird.com/podcast/catalyst-with-shayle-kann-4458041)
Published: 2026-03-26T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PSMI5098240288.mp3?updated=1774476152
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/PSMI5098240288.mp3?updated=1774476152
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann-4458041/episodes/the-state-and-future-of-nuclear-waste
Duration seconds: 2049

## Resource

The nuclear power sector is gaining a lot of momentum. But even as SMRs continue to flourish, the Department of Energy’s reactor pilot program moves forward, and decommissioned plants come back online, the question of what to do with nuclear waste has largely stayed out of the spotlight. The U.S. currently houses 90,000 tons of spent nuclear fuel; as more plants come online, that number could rise dramatically. In this episode, Shayle speaks to Dr. Jen Shafer, a former ARPA-E director and current professor at the Colorado School of Mines, to learn more about waste itself, and how to dispose of — or recycle it — as the industry evolves. The two cover topics like: The physical and chemical composition of spent nuclear fuel Short-term versus long-term hazards of waste The stalled disposal site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada Wet versus dry storage methods for nuclear waste The strategies for managing the waste from advanced reactors The “take back” model for managing microreactor waste Resources Catalyst: The path to market for new nuclear reactors Catalyst: The US nuclear groundswell Open Circuit: Inside Meta’s massive nuclear push Open Circuit: Fear and loathing at the Department of Energy Latitude Media: What TerraPower’s big milestone says about future nuclear projects Latitude Media: Commonwealth Fusion Systems launches digital twin with Nvidia and Siemens Latitude Media: Trump Media’s bizarre fusion play for TAE Technologies Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor. Catalyst is brought to you by Uplight. Uplight activates energy customers and their connected devices to generate, shift, and save energy—improving grid resilience and energy affordabilit…

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## Transcript

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