[DoE, 27 March] The US Department of Energy (DoE) will provide $15 million in funding to its Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for new post-irradiation examination equipment for advanced fuels development. The DoE said the state-of-the-art equipment is "pivotal" in the development strategy of President Bush's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) program. The GNEP initiative proposes private-public-international partnerships to develop advanced technologies to recycle used nuclear fuel, reduce wastes, and avoid misuse of nuclear materials. The new equipment at INL will allow researchers to accurately characterize the behaviour of experimental test fuels after they are removed from a reactor. DoE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dennis Spurgeon said, "We are constantly looking for new and inventive means to help achieve our goal of enabling the United States to effectively recycle spent nuclear fuel in a safe and proliferation-resistant manner." He added that the new equipment would "help put us one step closer to an improved technological standard while allowing the US to continue our pursuit of a much-needed nuclear renaissance."
Further information
US Department of Energy
The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
Idaho National Laboratory
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