IAEA Report on Possible New Framework for Using Nuclear Energy
June 28, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS
The report, Possible New Framework for the Utilization of Nuclear Energy: Options for Assurance of Supply of Nuclear Fuel, addressed proposals put forward over the past two years by various states and institutions.
Some proposals called for the creation of an actual or virtual reserve fuel bank of last resort, under IAEA auspices, for the assurance of supply of nuclear fuel.
This bank would operate on the basis of apolitical and non-discriminatory, non-proliferation criteria. Others called for conversion of a national facility into an international enrichment center or the construction of a new, multinational enrichment facility under IAEA control, said the agency.
According to IAEA, such a multilateral framework could best be achieved through establishing mechanisms that would:
- Assure the supply of fuel for nuclear power plants.
- Over time, convert enrichment and reprocessing facilities from national to multilateral operations.
- Limit future enrichment and reprocessing to multilateral operations.
Such a framework is voluntary and states are free to choose their fuel options - no rights of states would be compromised, said IAEA.
The report came at a time when more countries were expressing interest in nuclear power for electricity generation to help meet rising energy demands, said IAEA. This meant increased demand for fuel cycle services. It also meant an increase in the potential proliferation risks created by the spread of sensitive nuclear technology, such as that used in uranium enrichment and nuclear fuel reprocessing.
In February 2005, the IAEA Director General Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei issued a report called Multilateral Approaches to the Nuclear Fuel Cycle. In September 2006, the IAEA organized a special event during its annual general conference on the subject. The latest report was submitted to the board for its future consideration and discussion, including a decision on the report's public release.
"We are looking [at] these proposals and their associated legal, technical, financial and institutional aspects," ElBaradei said. "Trends clearly point to the need for developing a new multilateral framework for the nuclear fuel cycle. And it's clear that an incremental approach, with multiple assurances in place, is the way to move forward."
Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).