Site Selection andksessment for a Nuclear Storage Facility*

We investigate the structure and accuracy of the decision-making process associated with the task of finding an optimal location for stored nuclear materials with the time period ranging from 25 to 50 years. Using a well-documented facility design, benefit hierarchy is set up for different sites to rank a given site with respect to different options. Criteria included in the benefit hierarchy involve safeguards standards, technical viability, environmental effects, economics, political impact, and public acceptance. The problem we face here is the multi-criterion decision making. Two known approaches are investigated: analytic hierarchy process (AHP) of Saaty, and fuzzy logic approach of Yager. Whereas the AHP methodology requires a pairwise comparison of criteria and pairwise comparison of alternatives, in Yager’s approach each alternative is considered independently, thus allowing one to extend the analysis without performing time-consuming computation.