The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership

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• The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
• November 15, 2007

Jonathan Essner
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, P. O. Box
808, Livermore, CA 94551
This work performed under the auspices of the
U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory under Contract
DE-AC52-07NA27344
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Outline

• Introduction
• The Energy Problem
• The Nuclear Solution
• Problems with the Solution
• GNEP
• Other Fuel-Assurance Proposals

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DOE? What is it?
Department of Agriculture Commerce Defense Educa
tion Energy Health and Human Services Homeland
Security
Housing and Urban Development Interior Justice Lab
or State Transportation Treasury Veterans Affairs
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Whos Who
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• So, whats the issue?

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Energy
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Growing Energy Demand

• Global energy demand expected to double by 2050.
• -World Energy Council
• Global oil demand is expected to rise to about
  115 million barrels a day by 2030.
• -New York Times
• In China, there are 9 cars for every 1,000
  eligible drivers. In India, there are 11
  cars/1,000. In the U.S., there are 1,148/1,000.
• -Zoom The Global Race to Fuel the Car
  of the Future
• By 2030, greenhouse gas emissions will rise to 42
  billion tons from 27 billion in 2005.
• -International Energy Agency

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Whats the solution?
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Global Nuclear Energy Status

• Includes Taiwan.
• Source International Atomic Energy Agency and
  World Nuclear Association, August 2007.

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Global Nuclear Energy Status

• Includes Taiwan.
• Source International Atomic Energy Agency and
  World Nuclear Association, August 2007.

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The Nuclear Power Renaissance

• Growth in current nuclear states
• China, Pakistan, India, South Korea,
• Interest among non-nuclear states
• Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, UAE,
  Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Vietnam, Thailand,
  Indonesia,

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Nuclear Fuel

• When used in current nuclear power plants, one
  uranium pellet the size of the tip of your little
  finger is equivalent to the energy provided by
• 1,780 pounds of coal,
• 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, or
• 149 gallons of oil.

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Nuclear Fuel Cycle Basics
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Uranium Basics

• Uranium in nature has three isotopes.
• 99.2745 uranium-238
• 0.72 uranium-235.
• 0.0055 uranium-234.
• Uranium-238 and uranium-234 are not fissile, but
  they are still valuable.
• Only one fissile isotope found in nature
  uranium-235.
• Uranium-238 absorbs a neutron and eventually
  turns into plutonium-239, which is fissile but
  not found in nature.

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Enrichment

• The ratio of uranium-235 to uranium-238
  determines how energetic nuclear fuel is.
• Most reactors need uranium with a higher fraction
  of uranium- 235 than is found in nature, achieved
  through a process called enrichment.
• The ratio of uranium-235 to uranium-238 in
  natural uranium is not high enough to fuel in
  light water reactors as it cannot sustain a
  fission reaction.
• Light water reactors use fuel that is generally
  three to five percent uranium-235.

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Centrifuge Enrichment
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Centrifuge Enrichment
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Reprocessing
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Nonproliferation Concerns

• High-Enriched Uranium and Plutonium

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Little Boy
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Fat Man
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Reprocessing
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• A solution to the problems with the solution

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• GNEP

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GNEP Announcement

• America will work with nations that have
  advanced civilian nuclear energy programs, such
  as France, Japan, and Russia. Together, we will
  develop and deploy innovative, advanced reactors
  and new methods to recycle spent nuclear fuel.
• We will work with our partners to help
  developing countries meet their growing energy
  needs by providing them with small-scale reactors
  that will be secure and cost-effective.
• We will also ensure that these developing
  nations have a reliable nuclear fuel supply.
• Countries would agree to use nuclear power
  only for civilian purposes and forego uranium
  enrichment and reprocessing activities that can
  be used to develop nuclear weapons.
• By working with other nations under the Global
  Nuclear Energy Partnership, we can provide the
  cheap, safe, and clean energy that growing
  economies need, while reducing the risk of
  nuclear proliferation.
• President Bush
• February, 2006

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GNEP Implementing Elements

• Nuclear Power Expansion
• Reliable Fuel Services
• Grid-Appropriate Reactors
• Nuclear Safeguards

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Nuclear Power Expansion
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Reliable Fuel Services
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Grid-Appropriate Reactors

• Fuel designs that offer very long-life fuel loads
  (possibly ones that last the entire life of the
  reactor, so that refueling is not needed).
• Standardized modular designs in the 50 to 350
  megawatt range.
• Potential for district heating and industry and
  potable water production.
• Fully passive safety systems.
• Simple operation that requires minimal nuclear
  infrastructure.
• Use of as much existing licensed or certified
  technology as possible.
• Use of advanced manufacturing techniques.
• A better choice for customers.
• Effective, yet inexpensive IAEA safeguards to
  promote non-proliferation that might include
  remote monitoring.
• Physical protection against sabotage and other
  terrorist acts.

An example of a "small-grid reactor" is IRIS,
International Reactor Innovative and Secure
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Nuclear Safeguards
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Nuclear Safeguards

• Incorporation of nuclear safeguards technology
  into designs for recycle facilities, advanced
  fast reactors and associated nuclear materials
  storage and transportation, making them
  proliferation resistant.
• Development of high reliability, remote and
  unattended monitoring technologies advanced
  containment and surveillance smart safeguards
  information collection, management and analysis
  systems nuclear facility use-control systems
  and next generation nondestructive analysis and
  process monitoring sensors.
• Research and development of advanced material
  tracking methodologies, process control
  technologies and plant engineering.
• Remote sensing, environmental sampling and
  forensic verification methods.
• International facilities for conducting testing
  and demonstration.
• Continued support for global best practices for
  security and accounting of nuclear materials.

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GNEP Benefits

• Provide abundant energy without generating carbon
  emissions or greenhouse gases.
• Recycle used nuclear fuel to minimize waste while
  addressing proliferation concerns.
• Safely and securely allow developing nations to
  deploy nuclear power to meet energy needs.
• Assure maximum energy recovery from spent nuclear
  fuel.
• Reduce the number of required U.S. geologic waste
  repositories to one for the remainder of this
  century.

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The U.S. developed GNEP but it is truly GLOBAL in
its plan and vision.
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2007 GNEP Ministerial
Original GNEP Partners
New GNEP Partners
Attending Candidate Partner and Observer Countries

• Argentina
• Belgium
• Brazil
• Canada
• Czech
• Egypt
• Finland
• Germany
• Italy
• Mexico
• Morocco
• Netherlands
• Slovakia
• Spain
• South Korea
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Turkey
• United Kingdom

• China
• France
• Japan,
• Russia
• United States

• Australia
• Bulgaria
• Ghana
• Hungary
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Lithuania
• Poland
• Romania
• Slovenia
• Ukraine

GNEP Observers

• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
• Generation IV International Forum (GIF)
• Euratom

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Statement of Principles

• Expand nuclear power to help meet growing energy
  demand in a sustainable manner and in a way that
  provides for safe operations of Nuclear Power
  Plants and management of wastes.
• In cooperation with the IAEA, continue to develop
  enhanced nuclear safeguards to effectively and
  efficiently monitor nuclear materials and
  facilities, to ensure nuclear energy systems are
  used only for peaceful purposes.
• Establish international supply frameworks to
  enhance reliable, cost-effective fuel services
  and supplies to the world market, providing
  options for generating nuclear energy and
  fostering development while reducing the risk of
  nuclear proliferation by creating a viable
  alternative to acquisition of sensitive fuel
  cycle technologies.
• Develop, demonstrate, and in due course deploy
  advanced fast reactors that consume transuranic
  elements from recycled spent fuel.

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Statement of Principles

• Promote the development of advanced, more
  proliferation resistant nuclear power reactors
  appropriate for the power grids of developing
  countries and regions.
• Develop and demonstrate, inter alia, advanced
  technologies for recycling spent nuclear fuel for
  deployment in facilities that do not separate
  pure plutonium, with a long term goal of ceasing
  separation of plutonium and eventually
  eliminating stocks of separated civilian
  plutonium. Such advanced fuel cycle
  technologies, when available, would help
  substantially reduce nuclear waste, simplify its
  disposition and draw down inventories of civilian
  spent fuel in a safe, secure, and
  proliferation-resistant manner.
• Take advantage of the best available fuel cycle
  approaches for the efficient and responsible use
  of energy and natural resources.

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U.S. GNEP Nonproliferation Goals

• Discourage the spread of sensitive technologies
  that might otherwise accompany the future growth
  of nuclear power by reducing uncertainties about
  the availability of fuel supply and spent-fuel
  management services.
• Reduce stockpiles of separated civilian plutonium
  in a manner that reduces more proliferation risks
  than it adds.
• Develop and deploy reactors and fuel-cycle
  systems that are more proliferation resistant and
  facilitate improved physical security.
• Strengthen nonproliferation infrastructure.

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Fuel Supply Assurance Proposals
a) Reserve of nuclear fuel United States of
America b) Statement on the Peaceful Use of
Nuclear Energy Russian Federation c) Global
Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) United States
of America d) Ensuring Security of Supply in the
International Nuclear Fuel Cycle World Nuclear
Association e) Concept for a Multilateral
Mechanism for Reliable Access to Nuclear Fuel
France f) IAEA Standby Arrangements System for
the Assurance of Nuclear Fuel Supply Japan g)
Nuclear Threat Initiative h) Enrichment Bonds
United Kingdom i) International Uranium
Enrichment Centre at Angarsk Russian
Federation j) Multilateralizing the Nuclear Fuel
Cycle Germany k) Multilateralisation of the
Nuclear Fuel Cycle Austria l) Nuclear Fuel
Cycle European Union (EU) GOV/INF/2007/11
Possible New Framework for the Utilization of
Nuclear Energy Options for Assurance of Supply
of Nuclear Fuel
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Fuel Supply Assurance Proposals

• International Uranium Enrichment Centre at
  Angarsk
• Establish an International Uranium Enrichment
  Centre (IUEC) at the Angarsk Electrolysis
  Chemical Combine to provide guaranteed access to
  uranium enrichment capabilities to the Centres
  participating organizations.
• First agreement in the framework of the IUEC was
  signed by the Russian Federation and the Republic
  of Kazakhstan in May 2007.
• A mechanism is being developed to set aside a
  stockpile of LEU which might contribute to a
  broader assurance of supply mechanism.

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Fuel Supply Assurance Proposals

• The Nuclear Threat Initiative
• 50 million to the IAEA to help create an LEU
  stockpile owned and managed by the IAEA
• Requires that the IAEA takes the necessary
  actions to approve establishment of the reserve
  and that one or more Member States contribute an
  additional 100 million in funding or an
  equivalent value of LEU.
• Remaining arrangements the structure, its
  location, the conditions for access up to the
  IAEA and the Member States to decide.

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http//www.gnep.energy.gov
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Thank You