More GNEP money for research

Monday, 31 March 2008

The US Department of Energy has allocated $18.3 million for more detailed studies towards the advanced nuclear fuel reprocessing centres and reactors it envisages at the centre of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP).

 

The DoE is spending $5.7 million with Energy Solutions; $5.7 million with the International Nuclear Recycling Alliance, led by Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; $5.5 million with General Electric-Hitachi; and $1.3 million with General Atomics.

 

The latest awards follow a $16 million spend in October 2007 with the same groups on conceptual design studies, technology development roadmaps, business plans and a communication strategy to support decisions on the advanced reactor and nuclear fuel reprocessing and recycling centre proposed under GNEP. Dennis Spurgeon, the US assistant secretary for nuclear energy, said: "This industry analysis and technical planning will inform GNEP decision making and support international cooperation."

 

The GNEP concept requires two main technological leaps. An integrated used nuclear fuel reprocessing and recycling centre must be designed to take highly-radioactive used nuclear fuel as an input and transform it into three streams: fresh light-water reactor fuel containing recycled uranium and plutonium; advanced reactor fuel containing actinides currently thought of as waste; and a much-reduced volume of waste for permanent geologic disposal. In addition, the advanced burner reactors that will use the actinide fuel must be developed from basic concepts outlined today.

 

Separately almost $10.5 million has been spent on siting studies for the new facilities while GNEP research is ongoing into advanced reactors.