Policy and institutional arrangements have been different in France and the United Kingdom, where commercial plants reprocess spent fuel not only from nuclear plants in the host countries but also from plants in other countries.
And the output was so good, it was piped straight back to local reservoirs for redistribution.Each drop of water used by Londoners subsequently passed through the plant for reprocessing at least six times before eventually escaping to the sea.
That figure includes mining uranium, designing power plants and reprocessing waste fuel.
There are at least two uranium enrichment plants and two plutonium reprocessing plants in the country, as well as a nuclear research reactor reported to be making plutonium for warheads.
In addition, a South Korean newspaper reported on Wednesday that American spy satellites had detected plumes of steam and other signs of activity at a North Korean plant that reprocesses spent nuclear fuel to make weapons-grade plutonium.
A plant that reprocesses yellowcake into a gas, which is then fed into centrifuges for enrichment.
There are a number of liquid processes and waste streams at nuclear facilities (i.e., nuclear power plants, fuel reprocessing plants, nuclear research centers, etc).
China has a pilot plant engaged in reprocessing in Jiu Quan, a remote desert town in Gansu province.
Chosun Ilbo, a South Korean newspaper, quoted an unnamed official source as saying that US spy satellites had spotted steam rising from the main Yongbyon reprocessing plant, capable of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods to make weapons-grade plutonium.
The country gets roughly three-quarters of its power from nuclear plants and reprocesses its fuel, a technique that reduces the quantity of waste but is expensive and also creates plutonium, which can be used in nuclear weapons.
