Over 300 professionals, regulators and policy makers in the field of spent fuel management are meeting in Vienna this week to review advances in the management of spent fuel and ways to overcome challenges.
The IAEA International Conference on the Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors: Learning from the Past, Enabling the Future brings together experts from countries with decades of nuclear power operating experience along with countries developing or considering a nuclear power programme.
“For nuclear power to be sustainable, the safe, secure, reliable and efficient management of its fuel cycle is paramount, in particular the management of the spent fuel and radioactive waste generated,” said Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy. “Research, development, engineering and demonstration activities are carried out in Members States to address nuclear power challenges and to enhance safety and security both when establishing and implementing strategies for managing the back end of the fuel cycle. Much can be gained from sharing knowledge, experiences, lessons learned and best practices.”
Management of spent fuel is a complex undertaking, involving storage, transportation, possibly recycling, and disposal. Countries operating nuclear power programmes either reprocess and recycle their spent fuel, or they condition it for disposal in deep underground repositories. While technical solutions for the management of spent fuel exist, any of these options can take decades to implement and require significant resources. In addition, national strategies must be flexible enough to allow for the integration of new technologies that can enhance and improve the efficiency, safety, security and sustainability of nuclear power. This and other challenges and solutions will be discussed at the Conference. For more on the topic, read the latest edition of the IAEA Bulletin published for the conference.
