Many different estimates for the cost of radioactive waste disposal in geological repositories have been published. This study, aimed at the general reader, illustrates why the published cost estimates for packaging and geological disposal of spent fuel or reprocessing wastes vary so widely, and examines to what extent various political, institutional, technical and economic factors could explain the variation.
The study shows that despite the differences in the various systems being considered, there is a surprisingly good agreement between the estimates when compared to total electricity production costs.