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How much spent fuel can a 1,000-megawatt nuclear reactor produce each year?

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Labeled diagram showing the process of a nuclear power plant with a pressurized-water reactor. Water circulates through the reactor core, heats to produce steam in a steam generator, which drives a turbine connected to an electric generator. Steam is then cooled in a condenser using water from a cooling tower, which releases nonradioactive water vapor. Control rods, pumps, and transmission lines are also indicated. — nuclear power Schematic diagram of a nuclear power plant using a pressurized-water reactor.

A 1,000-megawatt nuclear power reactor produces approximately 20 to 25 tons of spent fuel per year.1

This spent fuel is considered high-level waste and requires careful management. Typically, it is stored underwater in cooling pools for up to several decades to allow short-half-life radioactivity to decay before being prepared for permanent disposal in deep geologic repositories.21