>> I always thought that the biggest long term problem with nuclear power was how to store/handle/protect the spent radioactive fuel.<<
That’s because Jimmy Carter prohibited recycling spent rods into new fuel. The French have been doing it without issues.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/jimmy-carter-killed-technology-50-004249906.html
“That’s because Jimmy Carter prohibited recycling spent rods into new fuel. “
Reversed by Reagan.
There are storage containers at Oak Ridge National Lab that are filled with material waste that could be recycled for power production. Enough for 700 years of power production...if they could ever get it reprocessed.