Opportunities for Fuel Cycle Development

Abstract

Today the Nuclear Industry is faced with several key challenges, not least that in all it does it has to achieve the highest levels of safety, pursue waste management options acceptable to the industry and general public, operate within varying political climates, and tackle these within a cost regime competitive with fossil fuel generated electricity. These are undoubtedly testing challenges, but on looking to the future there are certain trends which may prove beneficial to the industry and assist in mitigating them - namely that global energy demands are forecast to steadily increase over the next twenty years and beyond, and that in meeting this demand, the desire is to do so with minimal environmental impact. This paper will describe the part nuclear generation can play in servicing future energy demands, how the nuclear resource can best be utilised, how the holistic fuel cycle' philosophy can provide a framework for tackling the challenges faced by the industry, and the extent by which international co-operation can support certain advances in the fuel cycle.