The IAEA and the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), an initiative involving 13 countries focused on next generation nuclear power technologies, called for greater efforts to support the early deployment of innovative nuclear reactor systems to address climate change.
The appeal came during the annual 14th GIF-IAEA Interface Meeting, a gathering of senior IAEA officials as well as GIF members from several nations, the European Commission and the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which serves as the GIF technical secretariat. Among other things, participants in last week’s meeting, held virtually amid the global pandemic, reviewed progress on the research, design and development of innovative nuclear reactor systems, including in areas such as nuclear safety, proliferation resistance, economics, education and training.
“Participants called for stepping up action to support faster deployment of these innovative technologies, which can provide significant help as the world transitions to low carbon energy systems,” said Stefano Monti, co-chair of the meeting held on 8 July and head of the IAEA’s Nuclear Power Technology Development Section.
GIF was set up in 2000 to carry out the research and development (R&D) needed to establish the feasibility, safety and performance capabilities of next generation reactor systems, which incorporate major changes in design approaches, fuel, materials or systems configuration in comparison with existing technologies. GIF has selected six reactor technologies for further R&D, including the gas cooled fast reactor, lead cooled fast reactor, molten salt reactor, supercritical water cooled reactor, sodium cooled fast reactor and very high temperature reactor.