DS maquette interieure · 2020. 6. 18. · Commission, the SET-Plan governance bodies and the...

ww

w.SN

ETP.e

u

Deployment Strategy May 2010

Cover illustration: Exterior view of the Cruas-Meysse nuclear power plant (Courtesy of EDF Médiathèque, illustrator Fabrice Arfaras)

S u s t a i n a b l e N u c l e a r E n e r g y T e c h n o l o g y P l a t f o r m 3

Major nuclear research-orientatedorganisations and nuclear industrystakeholders have formulated a

common vision of the role of nuclear energy inEurope’s energy mix, its contribution to thesecurity and competitiveness of energy supply, aswell as to the reduction of greenhouse gasemissions.

Then, they have launched the SustainableNuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP)with the aim of integrating and developingR&D capabilities to maintain the safety andcompetitiveness of today’s technologies, todevelop a new generation of more sustainablereactor technologies and develop new industrialapplications of nuclear power.

The anticipated research topics up to 2050 aredescribed in the Platform’s Strategic ResearchAgenda (SRA), released in 2009.

This Deployment Strategy document follows onfrom the SRA, identifying the key actionsnecessary to implement it. Like the SRA, theDeployment Strategy document is the outcomeof many stakeholders involved in SNETPrepresenting industry, research organisations,technical safety organisations and academia.I would like to express my gratitude to all ofthem.

OOlliivviieerr MMaarrcchhaanndd,, Chairman of

the Deployment Strategy Working Group

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Table of contents

The Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform DS

5S u s t a i n a b l e N u c l e a r E n e r g y Te c h n o l o g y P l a t f o r m

TTaabbllee ooff ccoonntteennttss 55

FFoorreewwoorrdd 77

KKeeyy mmeessssaaggeess 99

1. Introduction 131.1 A sustainable contribution to EU energy policy 131.2 The Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology platform 14

2. Planning assumptions for SNETP 152.1 Nuclear fleet for electricity generation 15

2.1.1 Maintaining the Long Term Operation of the existing fleet 16

2.1.2 Improving and sustaining performance of the existing fleet 16

2.1.3 New build 16

2.2 New Markets (Heat, Hydrogen, Desalination) 182.3 Fuel Resources, Security of Supply 192.4 Reprocessing, Spent Fuel Management and Disposal 202.5 Decommissioning 202.6 Climate change and external influences 202.7 Competences 212.8 Harmonization of technical safety requirements in the European Union 21

3. Deployment Strategy for R&D 233.1 Current nuclear fleet 233.2 Generation III Light Water Reactors 243.3 Funding of R&D for Gen II/III 253.4 Generation IV Fast Neutron Reactors 26

3.4.1 Speeding up the development of Fast Neutron Reactors: a European Industrial Initiative 26

3.5 Non-electric applications of nuclear energy 283.6 Funding of European Industrial Initiatives 293.7 Nuclear R&D coordination and organisation 30

3.7.1.Increasing the level of cooperation and reducing fragmentation in Europe 30

3.7.2.Improving Nuclear Fission R&D coordination at the EU level 31

3.7.3.Longer term perspectives for SNETP 32

WWhhaatt nneexxtt?? 3355

GGlloossssaarryy ooff aaccrroonnyymmss && CCoonnttrriibbuuttoorrss 3377

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Foreword


Launched in September 2007, theSustainable Nuclear EnergyTechnology Platform (SNETP) nowgathers more than 80 organisations

(utilities, vendors, technology providers,technical safety organisations, researchorganisations, universities, consultancycompanies and non governmental organisations)from 20 European countries. SNETP publishedits Strategic Research Agenda in June 2009presenting the main R&D topics at short,medium and long-term.

In the same time, the European Commissionpublished the Strategic Energy Technology Plan(SET Plan) in which the role played by nuclearenergy in limiting greenhouse-gas emissions andin contributing to Europe’s security of supply isclearly recognised.

The Deployment Strategy document identifiesthe key actions necessary to implement the SRAand the funding requirements in order to allow

the Long-Term Operation of the current fleet,to support the deployment of the newgeneration of Light Water Reactors, to preparethe next generation of Fast Neutron Reactorsand to develop non-electric applications ofnuclear energy, thereby limiting Europegreenhouse-gas emissions and contributing toEurope’s security of energy supply.

SNETP is now ready to transform a sharedvision into reality by defining priority actionsand coordinating activities on each of the threetechnology pillars, thus contributing toEuropean energy policy.


Bernd GüthoffE.ON Kernkraft GmbHVice-Chairman of the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Key messages


The Sustainable Nuclear EnergyTechnology Platform (SNETP) waslaunched on September 21, 2007.Major nuclear research-oriented

organisations and nuclear industry stakeholdershave endorsed the goals of the platformexpressed in the Vision Report. Following thislaunch, the first edition of the StrategicResearch Agenda (SRA) of SNETP has beenpublished in May 20091.

The Deployment Strategy aims at identifyingthe key actions necessary to implement theSRA, overcome the technical and non-technicalbarriers, deliver its results, and communicate itsbenefits and impact to decision makers and thegeneral public.

Ten key objectives are identified to allow theLong-Term Operation (LTO) of the currentfleet (Gen II), to support the deployment of newtechnology (Gen III), to prepare the nextgeneration (Gen IV) and to develop non-electric applications of nuclear energy, therebysignificantly reducing CO2 emissions.

1. Nuclear energy is crucial to achieve the goals stated in the EU’s “Energy Policy for Europe”.

■ It is the main provider of low carbon energy inEurope’s energy mix today.

■ It improves security of supply by providingelectricity on a massive scale at stable prices, thusbringing a competitive edge to European industry.

■ Electricity demand is likely to increase in thefuture, as industrial processes and means oftransportation switch from fossil fuels towardsdecarbonised energy.

■ The share of nuclear energy in Europe’s energymix must increase or at least be maintained.

2. Europe needs to keep its currentreactor fleet operating with highlevels of safety andcompetitiveness.

■ European energy policy must support LTO ofexisting Light Water Reactors (LWR), whilemaintaining or ensuring a high safety level.

■ To support an objective of at least 60 years ofoperation of existing plants, priority actions mustbe undertaken to achieve harmonisation of LTOjustification methodologies, preventing andmanaging effects of ageing, and performanceimprovement.

■ These R&D actions will also support the new typeof plants which are already being deployed (GenIII) or that will be deployed from 2040 onwards(Gen IV).

3. Development must bemaintained to continuouslyimprove the competitiveness and safety margins of the newdesigns of LWR (Gen III).

■ The new Gen III LWRs are now being built inEurope and are likely to be operated throughoutthe 21st century as the main nuclear reactortechnology for electricity generation. These firstGen III reactors already benefit from importantdesign safety improvements.

■ Improving Gen III reactor sustainability requiresinnovative core design to maximise uraniumutilisation. Emphasis should also be given to wasteminimisation with consideration of the overall fuelcycle.

■ To promote the construction of new reactors acrossEurope, efforts should be devoted to supportinginternationally harmonised methodologies formeeting licensing requirements. A larger relianceon the European standardisation system should beencouraged.


1 - The Vision Report and theSRA are available for downloadat www.snetp.eu

D e p l o y m e n t S t r a t e g y D o c u m e n t10

❚In the period 2010-2020, the total R&Dinvestments for Gen II and III areestimated to be EUR2009 5 billion. Byavoiding duplication of R&D investmentsand reducing fragmentation of effort,SNETP should enable at least a 20% costsaving.

4. To ensure the long-termsustainability of nuclear energy,Gen IV Fast Neutron Reactorsshould be available fordeployment by 2040 or evenearlier. Therefore an ambitiousyet realistic R&D anddemonstration programme is to be put in place.

■ Fast Neutron Reactors (FNR) can multiply by afactor 50 to 100 the energy production from agiven amount of natural uranium compared tocurrent reactors. Most of the necessary technologyhas been proven at the experimental ordemonstrator level, but not yet commerciallydeployed.

■ SNETP places a high priority on the developmentof Gen IV FNRs, amongst which are the Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) as a proven concept andthe Lead- or Gas-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR, GFR)as alternative, longer-term technologies.

5. Speeding up the development of the Fast Neutron Reactor: a European Industrial Initiative

■ FNRs benefit from feedback from past operatingexperience, but the present safety, operationaland economic standards require new designs.

■ To accelerate their development and deploymentin the frame of the EU’s Strategic EnergyTechnology Plan (“SET-Plan”), SNETP will launchthe European Sustainable Nuclear IndustrialInitiative (“ESNII”) in 2010. This programmeincludes the construction of an SFR Gen IVprototype and a demonstrator of alternativetechnology (LFR or GFR).

6. As non-electric energyconsumption, presently widelyaddressed by fossil fuel burning,

is responsible for the majority ofCO2 emissions, SNETP also placesa high priority on a rapiddevelopment of non-electricapplications of nuclear energyfor reducing CO2 emissions, inline with the SET-Plan target.

■ The coupling of a nuclear reactor with industrialprocess heat applications is a challenginginnovation that requires a large-scaledemonstration for proving the technical feasibilityof such a coupled system, its operability underindustrial conditions, acceptability for licensingand economic competitiveness.

■ SNETP plans to launch a further joint industrialinitiative, between the nuclear industry (vendorsand operators) and energy-intensive industries,for carrying out such a demonstration by 2020.❚The FNR and cogeneration prototypes ordemonstrators are key projects andSNETP recommends that Member Statesand the European Union strongly supportthe corresponding Industrial Initiatives.

7. The European IndustrialInitiatives need co-investmentfrom private and public sources.

■ Estimates suggest that the costs might range from EUR2009 8 to 10 billions for ESNII and about3.5 billions for the cogeneration initiative. Thesecosts are justified by a return from futurerevenues. However, these costs are subject touncertainties and there are investment risks.

■ Therefore, the coordination and funding of R&Dprogrammes for the development of Gen IV andcogeneration systems at European level must beimproved, combining EU, national and privateinitiatives.

■ To this end, SNETP will interact with the EuropeanCommission, the SET-Plan governance bodies andthe European Energy Research Alliance (“EERA”).❚

European funding requirements for thisFNR and cogeneration R&D effort areestimated at EUR2009 11.5 - 13.5 billions inthe 2010-2020 period, which could besignificantly reduced in case of internationalpartnerships. The share of the cost isestimated at 80% from the public sector(national and/or EU) and 20% from industry.


8. To preserve its technological and industrial leadership, the European nuclear sectormust increase the level of cooperation and reducefragmentation of efforts.

■ Further harmonisation of licensing processes,standardisation of design evaluation tools,coordinated R&D between all stakeholders as wellas education and training of the existingworkforce are needed.

■ Moreover, advances in technology will coincidewith changes in the workforce. There is a need toaccelerate the development of a skills pipelinebetween university and industry to attract talentedyoung people.

■ Europe needs an appropriate network of nuclearR&D infrastructures, covering all aspects of thesafe long-term use of power plants and thedevelopment of new, safe, competitive andsustainable reactor technologies.

9. Improving nuclear fission R&Dcoordination at EU level

■ To reduce fragmentation of efforts, the mostimportant topics in the SRA have to be identifiedand then funding and research activities

concentrated on the most critical issues. Thisprocess of identification will be achieved in 2010.

■ An “Implementation” document will beelaborated in 2010 to describe how research willbe organised in order to share R&D capabilitiesand competences and ensure the leverage ofnecessary resources.

■ SNETP will then organise, with its working groups,efficient execution of the implementation planamongst its members.

10.In the longer term, theSustainable Nuclear EnergyTechnology Platform aims to play a leading role in:

■ coordinating and implementing research,development and demonstration initiatives,

■ providing strategic guidance to the EU in thedefinition of nuclear fission related objectives infuture Framework Programmes,

■ coordinating efforts with EU institutions andMember States willing to engage in the furtherdevelopment of fission energy, as well as withnon-EU countries via a mutual benefit approach,

■ promoting actions in the fields of education, train-ing, knowledge management, communication anddissemination.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

1. Introduction


■ 1.1 A sustainable contribution to EU energy policy

Nuclear power is the most abundantEuropean source of carbon-freeelectricity and is an important element

in combating climate change and minimisingEurope's dependence on imported energysources. Approximately 1/3 of the EU’selectricity, and 2/3 of its low-carbon energy, isproduced by nuclear power, representing a non-

emission of almost 900 million tons CO2 peryear. Without nuclear energy, the EuropeanUnion’s target to reduce CO2 emissions by 20%by 2020 and 60-80% by 2050 (compared to1990 levels) is not achievable.

Nuclear generationimproves security ofsupply by providingelectricity on amassive scale at stableprices, thus bringinga competitive edge toEuropean industry.In addition, since the

price of uranium is only a small part of overallgenerating costs, fluctuations in the uraniumprice have only a marginal effect on the cost ofnuclear electricity.The current fleet is primarily dedicated to base-load electricity generation. However, electricitydemand is likely to increase in the future, asmany industrial processes and means oftransport switch from fossil fuels todecarbonised energy sources. Moreover, newnon-electric applications of nuclear energyshould be able to demonstrate that nuclearCO2-free heat can substitute fossil fuel burningfor the industrial process heat market, which isalready very large today, and which will growfurther if the markets for alternative fuels (oilfrom tar sand and oil shale, synthetic fuel andhydrogen) develop.Nuclear safety is the top priority. The EuropeanUnion has an outstanding nuclear safety record;however research must continue in order tomaintain this high level of safety. Furthermore,advances in nuclear technology offer theprospect of significant improvements inefficiency and use of resources, whilst ensuringeven higher safety standards and decreasingwaste, compared to current designs.The European nuclear sector is characterised bycutting-edge technology and provides highlyskilled employment for several hundred


Fig. 1: The SNETP vision

Fig. 2: Electricity generation shares in EU-25 in 20042

(*RES: renewable energy sources) [Source: Eurostat]

2 - Nuclear IllustrativeProgramme (PINC),COM(2006) 844, published in Jan 2007, and Annexes 1 and 2, SEC(2006) 1717 and SEC(2006) 1718

Nuclear energy is the most important

low-carbontechnology in

Europe’s energy mix

thousand people. To maintain the excellentsafety record both now and in the future requiresskilled people and well-equipped nuclearresearch facilities. The availability of theseresources is a crucial prerequisite no matter whatthe future holds for the nuclear power sector.

■ 1.2 The Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform

Technology platforms bring together abroad spectrum of stakeholders toformulate and implement common

research agendas in strategic areas which couldhave significant impact on Europe'scompetitiveness and sustainability objectives.The Sustainable Nuclear Energy TechnologyPlatform (SNETP) is the European TechnologyPlatform aimed at promoting the research,development and demonstration of Europeannuclear fission technologies, covering currentand future nuclear systems, including safetyresearch, fuel cycle, appropriate R&Dinfrastructure and human resources.SNETP was launched on September 21, 2007 inBrussels. The Vision Report, endorsed by35 major nuclear research-orientatedorganisations and nuclear industry stakeholders,was distributed at this event. Following thelaunch, the Governing Board set up threeWorking Groups to establish the first edition ofthe Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), thepresent Deployment Strategy (DS) and anaction plan on Education, Training &Knowledge Management.In addition, coordination of the Europeanresearch effort in the specific field of geologicaldisposal of radioactive waste is addressed by the“Implementing Geological Disposal ofradioactive waste Technical Platform” (IGD-TP,see www.igdtp.eu), launched in November 2009.


Fig. 3: Greenhouse gas emissions (in tonnes of CO2-equivalent) perGWh for different electricity production means

2. Planning assumptions for SNETP


The Deployment Strategy is based upon aset of basic assumptions regarding keydrivers such as the composition of the

nuclear fleet and its evolution over the period2020-2050, the new markets for nuclear energy,fuel resource, etc.Basic assumptions are listed in followingsections.

■ 2.1 Nuclear fleet for electricity generation

At the moment 438 nuclear reactors are inoperation worldwide and contribute tolow carbon electricity supply. Several

worldwide prospective studies, such as “Energypolicy scenarios to2050” performed bythe World EnergyCouncil (2007) andthe World EnergyOutlook published byInternational EnergyAgency (2009)respectively showthat, even withoptimistic assumptions on the possiblecontributions of the other energy sources by2050 (maintaining current utilisation of oil andcoal, doubling of gas, development of renewableenergies up to 30%), the use of nuclear energywill continue to be necessary.This leads to an anticipated installed globalcapacity of nuclear power of the order of 1500GWe by 2050, which is about four times thecurrent installed capacity (370 GWe).According to the Second Strategic EnergyReview issued in 2008 by the EuropeanCommission, the EU would need a net powercapacity in 2020 which is about 150 or 180GWehigher than today. This means, for maintainingat least a constant ratio of 30% from nuclear,

more than 50GWe of new nuclear capacity.Nuclear power technology has evolved in threedistinct design generations: the initial prototypereactors; the second generation of reactors thatform the current fleet of operating power plants(‘Gen II’); and an evolutionary third generationof reactors with enhanced safety andcompetitiveness under construction today inEurope (Finland and France) and in China(‘Gen III’).Throughout the 21st century, it is foreseen thatLight Water Reactors will be responsible for themajority of nuclear electricity production inEurope. In the period 2010-2050, the successfuloperation and management of Gen II LWRsbeyond their originally foreseen lifetime will bevital to achieve security of electricity supply of inEurope. The new evolutionary designs of GenIII LWRs will be deployed over several decadesand will represent a large part of the worldwidefleet throughout the latter part of the 21stcentury. As a result of feedback from experienceand improvements through targeted R&D, GenIII reactors later deployed will evolve ascompared with the first-of-a-kind reactors, inareas such as economic performance.A fourth generation of reactors (‘Gen IV’) isnow the subject of an increasing R&D effort.The objectives of Gen IV reactors arecompetitive performance, high safety standards,increased sustainability, nuclear waste reductionand proliferation resistance. At least oneprototype is expected to start operation inEurope in the 2020’s and Gen IV reactors couldbe available for commercial deployment from2040 onwards.

The penetration ofnuclear energy in themarket of industrialnon-electric applica-tions is also possible.After an initialdemonstration in theearly 2020s, the


The ratio of 30% of nuclear in the EUelectricity generation

mix is at leastmaintained up to 2050,the rest being provided

by other non CO2emitting sources

At the horizon 2040,the nuclear fleet consists of a mix of technologies:

Gen II, Gen III, and Gen IV prototypes.


industrial deployment of High TemperatureReactor (HTR) cogeneration systems could beinitiated in the late 2020s to answer marketneeds for reduction of CO2 emissions, wellahead of the deployment of Gen IV systems.The nuclear industry continuously upgrades theperformance of its reactor fleet, maintains highsafety levels, and promotes Long TermOperation where technically possible andapproved by the Nuclear Safety Authorities.

■ 2.1.1 Maintaining the Long TermOperation of the existing fleet

To maintain the competitive advantage ofnuclear generation and to reduce the need

for new build, commercial operation of theexisting fleet should be extended beyondoriginal design lifetimes while benefiting fromfeedback from experience and increasedoperational knowledge. A high level of safetycorresponding to strict international standards isensured through periodic safety reassessments.Plant life extension to 60 years or more isanticipated, as is the case with other similarplants around the world (e.g. in the USA), andthis process should be an important driver forR&D.

■ 2.1.2 Improving and sustaining performance of the existing fleet

Plant life extension is backed by performanceenhancement to guarantee a competitive

advantage for nuclear generation. The plantsoperate with high availability and efficiency andat low production costs and ensure a high safetylevel.Capacity upgrading continues to be undertakenat more than 25% of all NPPs; the EU wideaverage unit availability has steadily increasedover the last 10 to 15 years. Over the sameperiod, programmes on both capacity upgradingand increasing plant availability have resulted inover 5000 MWe of additional net power outputin the EU-27.Advanced technologies, innovative managementprocedures or plant organisation have thepotential to lead to further improvements inplant operation, performance, equipmentmaintenance and reliability, staff training, andtherefore production costs.

■ 2.1.3 New build

New nuclear build is a key pillar to thesuccessful deployment of nuclear energy,

and involves both the construction of additionalplants and the replacement of reactors to bedecommissioned in the coming decades.

Fig. 4: Reactor building of the Flamanville 3 EPR construction site in March 2010 (Source EDF Médiathèque, illustrator Alexis Morin)

In Europe, new reactors will be built from nowon. As of 2008, two European PressurisedReactors (EPRs) are being built, in Finland andin France. Finland is also starting the approvalprocedure for the possible construction of twoadditional reactors and France has announcedthe construction of a second EPR. Other on-going new builds in the EU are the constructionof two units in Bulgaria and the completion ofthe construction of two units in Slovakia.Furthermore, the United Kingdom, Poland,Italy and the three Baltic states are consideringnational options for new nuclear power plants.The market for new construction is substantialsince the current nuclear fleet capacity amountsto almost 135 GWe in Europe. Various factorsadd to the economic value of the new buildmarket: economic benefit arising from low,stable nuclear generation costs; the industrialsignificance of a new project for nationalsubcontractors; and the new jobs created forboth the reactor construction and thesubsequent services throughout the reactor’slifetime.New generation reactors are the outcome ofcontinuous technological development andlearning processes from current reactors. Theirdesign takes advantage of the operationalexperience that has been gathered until now.Safety is enhanced by innovative active andpassive systems and by the design featurespreventing severe damage to the core. Efficiencyis higher, fuel consumption is reduced, reliability


is significantly increased, waste is minimised andeconomics are improved.However, like in every high-tech sector, newnuclear reactors will benefit from continuousdevelopments and improvements as a result oftechnological progress. Research and innovationwill therefore continue over the coming decades,

especially regarding materials and assemblytechnology, fuel performance and utilisation,and advanced simulation; this will enable theemergence of an advanced generation ofreactors. The Strategic Research Agendapresents a research strategy that takes fullbenefit from commonalities between currentand future nuclear systems and creates scaleeconomies, on basic research or researchinfrastructures. Research on new build thereforehas considerable significance in view of thenumber of reactors to be built and its usefulnessfor future generation reactors.

Fig. 5a: Lay-out of 1200 MWe GFR [Courtesy of CEA)

Fig. 5b: Lay-out of 50-100 MWth Experimental GFR (ALLEGRO)[Courtesy of CEA]

Fig. 6b: 1500 MWe Innovative SFR Loop Design [Courtesy of CEA]

Fig. 6a: 1500 MWe Innovative SFR Pool Design [Courtesy of CEA]

Several international forums such as theGeneration-IV International Forum3 (GIF)launched by the US-Department of Energy(DOE) in 2000 and the International Project onInnovative Nuclear Reactor (INPRO) launchedby the IAEA also in 2000, have identified arange of advanced reactor system technologies4

that will enablenuclear energy tobuild on the successof current LWRs anddeliver an importantcontribution to theworld’s primaryenergy needs in thelonger term:■ Fast neutron systems with a closed fuel cycle able

to exploit the full energy potential of naturaluranium (80-90% as opposed to slightly morethan 1% with LWRs today) and to minimise thelong-term radiotoxicity and decay heat of theultimate waste for disposal,

■ High or very high temperature nuclear systems forenergy applications other than electricityproduction, such as hydrogen, synthetictransportation fuels, and process heat for industry(cf. §2.2).

Gen IV fast reactor systems can thereforemultiply by a factor 50 to 100 energy productionfrom a given amount of uranium fuel, ascompared to current reactors. Another potentialbenefit would be a reduction in the quantity oflong-lived nuclear waste as a result of the abilityto burn minoractinides, therebyexpanding thecapacity of geologicalrepositories throughthe reduction inlong-term heat load.Therefore, in a mid-term perspective,Gen IV fast reactors could deliver safe, moreresource-efficient and more competitive nuclearenergy.

Most of the Gen IV fast reactor systems havebeen proven at experimental level, but not yetdeployed at commercial scale. A number ofquestions regarding specific safety topics,development and integration of systems andcomponents, scale-up of technology, policy andregulation, public acceptance, operatingperformance and costs are yet to be resolved.

■ 2.2 New Markets (Heat, Hydrogen,Desalination)

Nuclear reactors are sources of heat,which could be used to deliver heat orsteam to energy-intensive industrial

processes, such as (petro)chemicals, steelmaking,hydrogen production, or seawater desalination -processes which today rely on burning fossilfuels. However, the connection of a nuclearenergy source to neighbouring industrial plantshas yet to be convincingly demonstrated.Nuclear reactors are capable of providing heat ata wide range of temperatures, which covers therequirements of most non-electric applications.There are still significant issues to be resolvedbefore commercial deployment of nuclear fissionin the non-electric energy market is possible:adapting the nuclear heat source to end-userrequirements, developing appropriate couplingtechnologies between the reactor and theapplications, and possibly adapting theapplications to the specific capacity of thenuclear reactor. Furthermore, for successfulmarket penetration, prior demonstration iscritical, which may require public support.At the same time, safety issues related topossible interactions between industries (nuclearand conventional) must be considered.High Temperature Reactors (HTRs) are apromising technology, with significantexperience of test reactors and industrialprototypes in several countries. With existingmaterials and fuel technologies they couldprovide heat up to a temperature of 750°C,sufficient for a large range of industrialapplications. The development of advancedmaterials and fuel could extend the range to veryhigh temperatures (VHTR).Even though nuclear energy has the clearpotential to develop non-electric applications,market characteristics need to be thoroughlyevaluated: market size, competitiveness ofnuclear energy in these markets, etc.

In Europe, opportunities may arise when largeindustrial platforms (e.g. refineries, ammonia pro-duction, and steel plants) commit to nuclear alter-natives. At the time of writing, potential end usershave begun considering HTR systems for siteenergy supply as part of CO2 reduction strategiesand energy cost stability.

Process heat opportunities also exist in thelarge-scale production of hydrogen, required for


The sustainability of nuclear energy

depends on the optimal use ofnatural resources.

Gen IV fast reactors are scheduled

to start commercialoperation from 2040 onwards.

3 - The fully ratified GIF membersare Canada, China, Euratom,France, Japan, Russia, South Africa,South Korea, Switzerland and the United States of America.

4 - In GIF, six reactor systems have been selected for furtherdevelopment:● GFR Gas-cooled Fast Reactor● LFR Lead-cooled Fast Reactor● MSR Molten Salt Reactor● SFR Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor● SCWR Supercritical

Water-cooled Reactor● VHTR Very High

Temperature Reactor

the synthesis of new liquid fuels byhydrogenation of high carbon content materials(coal, tars, residues) or for fuel cells for thetransportation sector.However, important commercial and socio-political acceptance issues are still to beovercome:■ resource-oriented issues: the degree of

deployment of nuclear non-electricity productiondepends on the availability of capital investments,

■ societal and legal issues: the use of nuclear energyfor non-electricity applications will have to facethe same issues as for electricity generation(safety, waste management).

■ 2.3 Fuel Resources,Security of Supply

At the end of 2008, 438 commercialreactors (corresponding to a worldwideinstalled capacity of 370 GWe) were in

operation, requiring about 66 500 tonnesuranium per year. Natural uranium productionprovided about 60% of these requirements. Therest was coming from excess government andcommercial inventories, down-blending ofhighly-enriched uranium (dismantling ofnuclear warheads), re-enrichment of depleteduranium tails and spent fuel reprocessing.By 2030, worldwide generating capacity isprojected to reach 473 to 748 GWe[IAEA,nuclear energy review, 2009] Accordingly, world

uranium requirementsare projected to rise tobetween 95 000 and120 000 tonnesuranium per year.According to thelatest joint reportprepared by NEA andIAEA [OECD/NEA

and IAEA, uranium 2007: Resources,Production and Demand, OECD, Paris (2008)],the total identified resources (reasonably assuredand inferred) are estimated at 5.5 Million tonnesuranium in 2007. These resources are relativelywell distributed (Canada and US: 14%,Kazakhstan: 15%, Russia: 10%, Australia: 23%and Africa: 18%).The identified resources are sufficient to feedthe expected world nuclear fleet in 2030 foraround 50 years and to leave time to prepare the


Uranium reserves are expected

to last for several decades

at an acceptable cost.

Fig. 7: Range of operating temperatures for heat intensive industrial processes(> 100 MW of heat needed in each plant) (Courtesy of Michelangelo Network FP5 project)

Fig. 8: Uranium resources, reserves and demand across the world (Copyright BGR, Hannover 2009)

deployment by 2050 of more fuel-efficientnuclear systems such as fast neutron reactorswith a closed fuel cycle. Uranium reserves can beexpected to grow with extended and improveduranium prospecting (in the NEA-IAEAreport, the total undiscovered resources,prognosticated and speculative, were estimatedat 10.5 million tonnes uranium).However, the expected rapid rise in the demandof mined uranium will challenge the miningindustry as never before.Generation IV will extend energy recovery fromuranium by a factor of 50 to 100, enabling theuse of nuclear fission energy for centuries.Thorium has the potential to complement ura-nium (worldwide reserve are 4 times those ofuranium), but being only a fertile material, itsuse requires large neutron sources in order toproduce usable fissile material. Significant R&Defforts would be necessary to achieve a completefuel cycle and therefore thorium is not consid-ered to be part of the deployment strategy at thisstage. Nevertheless, some R&D efforts must bemaintained so as to retain European proficiencyin this area; this is detailed in a specific annex tothe SNETP Strategic Research Agenda.

■ 2.4 Reprocessing, Spent Fuel Management and Disposal

Long-term storage technology is alreadyavailable. Technical solutions exist forgeological disposal, but need to be

implemented (this relies on political decisions atnational level; as of 2010, such decisions havebeen taken in Sweden, Finland and France). Aspecific Technology Platform (ImplementingGeological Disposal of radioactive waste TechnologyPlatform, www.igdtp.eu) was launched inNovember 2009. Interfaces between SNETPand IGD-TP must be established in order tocomplement knowledge and strategies in anefficient and effective way.Spent fuel transportation casks are secure andqualified. Waste conditioning is industriallymature.Reprocessing technology exists for LWR andenhances conservation of resources, thoughfurther R&D efforts are required for extensionto Gen IV fast breeder reactors.Transmutation of isotopes separated from

nuclear waste (minor actinides and long-livedfission products) offers the potential option tofurther reduce the radiotoxicity and long-termdecay heat of high-level radioactive wastedestined for disposal. However, energy-related,economic and technical issues associated withthis option need to be assessed in more detail.

■ 2.5 Decommissioning

Decommissioning techniques exist andbenefit from feedback from previousdecommissioning operations. These

technologies allow the recycling of the bulk ofthe steel inventory, e.g. steam generators, pipingand reactor vessel heads. Thus quantities forfinal disposal are significantly reduced.

■ 2.6 Climate change and external influences

Over the last decade, more and morecompelling evidence points to the linkbetween human activity and climate

change. The Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) has been the principalforum for synthesising this information and


Fig.9: The SFR facility for operational waste in Forsmark, Sweden (Source SKB, illustrator Curt-Robert Lindqvist)

Fig. 10: Decommissioning in EON NPP Würgassen (Courtesy by E.ON)


estimating impactsand trends. In thiscontext, nuclearpower is widely seenas one option tocounter risingemissions of CO2,considered to belargely responsible forglobal warming.Existing and future nuclear assets have also tocope with the changing environment: plant effi-ciency has to be optimised while managing newconstraints as a result of extreme weather events,such as exceptionally high temperatures, flood-ing or cooling water shortages and coastalerosion.In particular, future plant designs must be able todeal with evolving external and internal threats.Stability of buildings, security measures and pro-liferation resistance need to be carefully assessed.

■ 2.7 Competences

The nuclear renaissance will create jobsbut will demand that appropriatecompetences are available.

There is strong competition with other sectors

to hire new recruits, but mobility betweensectors should also be encouraged.Increased investment in training facilities hasbeen forthcoming, but more is needed.

■ 2.8 Harmonisation of technical safety requirementsin the European Union

This issue, which extends to all aspects ofnuclear technology from R&D to energyproduction, is more and more important,

not only to ensure an appropriate andharmonised level of safety but also to facilitatethe deployment of nuclear energy in the EU,based on standardised reactor designs.Moreover, it can contribute to maintaining oreven increasing European industry'scompetitiveness through easier access to the EUmarket, by avoiding unnecessary or duplicatedlicensing costs.In addition, for Gen IV reactors, the jointdevelopment of codes and standards shouldprovide a common European tool forcapitalising on the knowledge gained fromR&D on improved materials and advancedmanufacturing processes.

Nuclear energy is one solution tomitigate climate change (current

EU CO2 avoidance: 900 Mtonnes

per year).

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

3. Deployment Strategy for R&D


Nuclear fission energy is crucial toachieving the goals stated in the EU's“Energy Policy for Europe”: reduced

CO2 emissions, security of supply, competitive-ness and stable electricity prices.Nuclear power generates one third of all theelectricity consumed in the EU today, at thesame time emitting very low quantities ofgreenhouse gases (cradle to grave analysis).Thanks to nuclear, the EU's total greenhousegas emissions are reduced by some 14% a year –almost 900 million tonnes of CO2, equivalent tothat produced by all the private cars in Europe.Therefore, nuclearpower contributessignificantly to help-ing the EU meet itscurrent commitmentsunder the interna-tional protocols and itoffers options for sus-tainable energysupply into thefuture. Without nuclear, the European Uniontarget to reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020and 60-80% by 2050 is not reasonably achiev-able.Nuclear generation ensures a strong security ofelectricity supply and provides stable electricityprices, on a massive scale, bringing a competitiveadvantage to EU industry. In addition, since theprice of uranium is only a small part of overallgenerating costs, fluctuations in the uraniumprice have only a marginal effect on the cost ofnuclear electricity.The current fleet is primarily dedicated to base-load electricity generation. However, electricitydemand is likely to increase in the future, asmany industrial processes or the transportationsector will switch from fossil-fuelled to de-carbonised energy. Moreover, new non-electricapplications of nuclear energy shoulddemonstrate that nuclear CO2-free heat can

substitute fossil fuel burning for the industrialprocess heat market, which is already very largetoday, and which will grow further if the marketfor alternative fuels (oil from tar sand and oilshale, synthetic fuel and hydrogen) develops.Therefore, Europe must increase, or at leastmaintain, the share of nuclear energy in theenergy mix.However, for the period 2007-2011, the EUbudget (Euratom FP7-indirect actions) forCommunity research activities in the field ofnuclear fission and radiation protection is onlyEUR 287 million. Furthermore, a significantpart of the funding necessary to carry out theR&D identified in the Strategic ResearchAgenda must come from the public sector.

3.1 Current nuclear fleet

Given the proven benefits of nuclearenergy in terms of competitiveness andlow CO2 emissions, European energy

policy must support the long-term operation ofthe existing plants, while maintaining a highsafety level, managing the effects of ageing, andcontinuing efforts to optimise the utilisation ofuranium resources through the development of

innovative fuel strate-gies. The continuedsafe operation ofexisting Gen IInuclear power instal-lations will providediversity and securityof energy supply inEurope whilst com-bating climate change.

Nuclear power plants are complex technologicalsystems and research into their operationalsafety is multi-faceted. It can involve tasks suchas: plant life assessment and management,


Nuclear fissionenergy

is crucial to achievingthe goals stated

in the EU's “EnergyPolicy for Europe

Europe needs to keep its current

reactor fleet (Gen II)operating with

a high level of safety and

competitiveness.


improved safety culture to minimise the risk ofhuman or organisational error, advanced safetyassessment methodologies, development andimplementation of numerical simulation tools,instrumentation and control, and preventionand mitigation of severe accidents, plusassociated activities to optimise knowledgemanagement and maintain competence.Gen II nuclear power plants are expected tooperate well beyond their design lifetime (inmost cases 40 years) resulting in superioreconomics. To support an objective of 60 yearsor more for existing LWR plants, priority R&Dactions must be undertaken. The StrategicResearch Agenda develops a list of key issues tobe addressed, primarily:■ harmonisation of European Long-Term Operation

justification methodologies, and also a morecommon technical basis to facilitate the licensingprocesses in Member States,

■ prevention and managing the effects of ageing, ■ improvement of performance: the interface

between man, machine and organisation is alsoan important area for research55,

■ development and validation of multi-physics /multi-scale numerical simulation tools using HighPerformance Computing55.

To further increase sustainability andcompetitiveness, actions will continue towardsthe more efficient utilisation of uranium andplutonium in LWRs.These R&D actions and experience feedbackwill contribute to further improvements indesign of the new generation of plants alreadybeing deployed (Gen III) or to be deployed from2040 onwards (Gen IV).

3.2 Generation III Light Water Reactors

The new Gen III LWRs are now beingbuilt in Europe and are likely to be oper-ated throughout the 21st century as the

main nuclear reactortechnology for elec-tricity generation.These first Gen IIIreactors already bene-fit from importantdesign safetyimprovements.On the world market,

about 12 vendors offer more than 14 Gen IIIdesigns: PWR, BWR and heavy water reactors(e.g. CANDU). Only some of these designs arelikely to be exploited in Europe. Europeanutilities have already shortlisted designspecifications in the so-called “European UtilityRequirements” and they cooperate in the jointassessment of designs proposed by vendorsagainst these requirements. EPR, ABWR,AP1000 and KERENA have been examinedand validated positively under this scheme bythe utilities; the process is on-going for VVER-1000. Further candidates are the EU-APWR,ESBWR and ACR-1000.Currently, there are some limiting factors for theconstruction of Gen III plants. Productioncapacity for reactor pressure vessels is limited toa few manufacturers worldwide. But in view ofthe expected worldwide growth of NPPs, somevendors have already announced the ramping upof their production capacities.R&D activities can bring forward technologyinnovation for optimizing performance andeconomics (materials, assembly and fabricationof components) while maintaining a high safetylevel.

5 - Generic activities alsoconcerning Gen III and IV

Development must be sustained to

continuously improvethe competitiveness

and safety margins ofthe new technology

of LWR (Gen III).

Fig. 11a: Artist’s view of the Westinghouse AP1000 Reactor (Source Westinghouse Image Gallery)

Fig. 11b: Artist’s view of the Generation III EPRunder construction in Olkiluoto, Finland

Improving the sustainability of Gen III reactorswill require innovative core design to maximiseuranium utilisation (increased reactorconversion ratio, high discharge burn-up withfuel enrichment above 5%…). Emphasis shouldbe given also to waste optimisation withconsideration given to the whole fuel cycle(advanced technology for fuel treatment /recycling / re-fabrication), while maintaining ahigh degree of safety and security.To promote the construction of new reactorsacross Europe by bringing predictability to thelicensing process, efforts should be devoted toinvolving European parties in the internationalharmonisation of methodologies related tolicensing process requirements (design andsafety evaluation, subcontractor certification,introduction of new fabrication and assemblytechnologies, transport of irradiated fuel /materials …). Towards this aim, a larger relianceon the European standardisation system shouldbe encouraged. A harmonised safety approach(while still allowing for each Member State’sspecificities) will facilitate design licensing ofstandardised reactors and ensure morepredictable reactor construction and operationtimescales, while improving experiencefeedback.

Key R&D topics include:■ Improvement of systems, structures and

component design, assembly and fabricationtechnologies to give better reliability, quality,performance optimisation and cost economics;

■ Harmonisation of methodologies to assess thereliability of innovative systems and components(digital I&C, …);

■ Harmonisation of methodologies for a new type ofprobabilistic safety assessment (earthquakes, …)and sharing of data;

■ Upgraded Human System Interface, simplifiedoperation of reactor systems;

■ Environmental impact assessment: considerationof the adequacy of the cooling water source in theperspective of Climate Change66;

■ Fuel testing.

A strong R&D effort on innovative or evenbreakthrough technology should help maintainthe competitiveness of LWR / Gen III reactors,in their role as the main nuclear reactors for the21st century. This will encompass areas such asadvanced materials and assembly technologiesfor nuclear components (including codes and

standards issues), highconversion ratio reac-tors (higher than 5%enriched fuel) andharmonised safetyculture (i.e. reactoroperation, licensingprocess require-ments…).

New infrastructures are likely to be required forthe validation and assessment of the above-mentioned innovative technologies. A jointeffort between R&D organisations, TechnicalSafety Organisations and industry will beneeded to ensure efficient development.

3.3 Funding of R&D for Gen II/III

To estimate the R&D funding needs forGen II and III reactors in the 2010-2020period, the rationale is the following:

■ Present R&D:● According to the IEA R&D statistics and to the

EC/Joint Research Center report “R&Dinvestment in the priority technologies of theEuropean Strategic Energy Technology Plan,2009”, R&D investments in EU27 in nucleartechnology amounted to EUR2009 400 millionper year and are equally financed by theprivate and the public sector;

● Today more than 95% of the R&D investmentsin Gen II and III come from private companiesand national R&D programmes.

■ Increasing needs: since several EU countries areconsidering building new reactors and/orextending the time of operation of existing ones,these R&D investments are likely to increase toabout EUR2009 500 million per year by 201577;

■ Benefits of working together:● SNETP will provide a better coordination of

R&D programmes, avoid duplicateinvestments and reduce fragmentation ofefforts. It is estimated that this will result insavings at least equal to the increasing needsabove;

❚In the period 2010 – 2020, the total R&Dinvestments for Gen II and III areestimated to be EUR2009 5 billion. Thanksto SNETP, this budget can be reduced toEUR2009 4 billion.


6 - As climate change couldinduce rise in river watertemperature or sea level, whichmay somehow impact plantdesign

7 - However, the costs of theprogrammes are subject touncertainties. They will bereviewed during theprioritisation process (cf. § 3.7.2) and updatedregularly.

Throughout the 21st century,

Light Water Reactorswill be the main nuclear reactortechnology for

electricity generation

● By 2015, SNETP aims to play a leading role inmanaging these investments and tocoordinate about 40% of them (aboutEUR2009 150 million per year);

■ SNETP public / private partnerships:The SNETP R&D programmes can be split into:● R&D endorsed by industry (utilities and ven-

dors). Primarily a responsibility of theindustry, this part of R&D is mainly driven bytheir specificneeds, anddirectly relatedto operationalperformance.The R&Dorganisationswill providetheir expertiseand in specific cases some complementaryinvestigations, but with a strict respect of con-fidentiality. This R&D is mostly based onprivate funding. The R&D deliverables benefittheir owners;

● R&D shared between nuclear stakeholdersand eligible for public-private partnerships(also includes topics addressed in EuratomFramework Programmes). The R&Ddeliverables tend to benefit the entire nuclearcommunity.

❚Over the period 2010-2020, the total costof the programmes implemented under theSNETP umbrella is estimated to beEUR2009 1.5 billion: i.e. 0.5 billion for theR&D endorsed by industry and EUR2009

1 billion for R&D open to public-privatepartnerships. Thus, assuming these are50:50 partnerships, the share in overallcosts will be 2/3 industry and 1/3 nationaland/or EU public sources.

3.4 Generation IV Fast Neutron Reactors

To ensure the long term sustainability ofnuclear energy, the next Gen IV fastreactors should be available for

deployment by 2040 or even earlier. Thereforean ambitious yet realistic R&D anddemonstration programme is to be put intoplace, on the basis of an exhaustive review of theexperience feedback drawn from the design,construction and operation of these types ofreactors.

In order to provide a solution for long-termsustainability of nuclear energy, SNETP gives ahigh priority to the development of FastNeutron Reactors (FNR), among which are theSodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) as a provenconcept, and the Lead- or Gas-cooled FastReactor (LFR and GFR) as alternative longer-term technologies.The SFR and LFR benefit from the feedbackfrom past operating experience, but the presentsafety, operational and competitivenessstandards require new designs. Such experiencedoes not exist for the GFR. To achievecommercial availability of FNR technologies by2040, it is vital to continue and accelerate R&Don key topics, primarily:■ primary system design simplification;■ improved materials and innovative fuels;■ improved safety (safety standards at least

comparable to Gen III standards), particularly interms of neutronics, risks associated with liquidmetal, robustness against severe damage in thecore and passive systems;

■ innovative heat exchangers and power conversionsystems;

■ advanced instrumentation and in-serviceinspection capabilities;

■ reduction of the plant costs;■ partitioning and recycling processes. The work in

the area of partitioning and transmutation withinnovative fuels and core performance andassociated fuel cycle studies will lay thegroundwork for assessment of future sustainablenuclear fuel cycle strategies, whether and to whatextent it should involve transmutation and whether in a dedicated waste-burningAccelerator Driven System or in future Gen IVpower plants.

R&D work on such 4th generation systemsshould be complemented by continuing R&D to further optimise the 3rd generation reactorsthat are anticipated to operate throughout the21st century.

3.4.1 Speeding up thedevelopment of Fast NeutronReactors: a European IndustrialInitiative

To accelerate the development and thedeployment of Gen IV FNRs, SNETP

plans to launch a set of demonstration projects


SNETP will play a key role

in coordinating R&D programmes

on Light WaterReactors

in the frame of a SET-Plan European IndustrialInitiative.Indeed, Gen IV FNRs are a promisingtechnology, but demonstrators / prototypes arerequired before commercial deployment. Inaddition, their designs will take advantage ofthe operating experience of existing nuclearreactors. Considering that Gen IV systems area revolutionary concept and the need forharmonisation and consensus, discussions ondesign criteria should involve all stakeholders:utilities, suppliers, design authorities andTechnical Safety Organisations.SNETP recommends that its member utilitiesshould together list the criteria for designingsafe, competitive, reliable and easy-to-operateGen IV FNRs on the basis of theirlongstanding experience with operating nuclearreactors. In addition, the joint development ofcodes and standards would provide a commonEuropean tool for capitalising on theknowledge gained through R&D on improvedmaterials and the advanced manufacturingprocesses required for these advanced reactors.With this in mind, the European IndustrialInitiative on FNR includes:■ the construction of an SFR prototype in France by

2020 (though open to the establishment of aninternational consortium), which is an essential

step towards the industrialisation of thistechnology; and

■ the construction of a demonstrator usingalternative FNR technology (LFR or GFR).

Operation of the prototype and demonstratorwould enable important experience to beacquired for the design and operation of indus-trial power plants using FNR technology, and isa key step towards industrial deployment.

In addition, the indus-trial initiative wouldinclude a fast spec-trum irradiationfacility and pilot fuelmanufacturing andrecycling facilities, aswell as the necessaryresearch infrastruc-ture, including afurther assessment ofacce lerator-dr iven

systems for transmutation. Research must alsocontinue on safety-related issues and validationof safety criteria.These prototype and demonstrator reactorswould not only establish a specific technologytrack but also act as multipurpose researchinfrastructures. In particular the GFR or LFR


Fig. 12: The SET-Plan European Industrial Initiative dedicated to Gen IV FNRs

The EuropeanSustainable NuclearIndustrial Initiative is one of the six

industrial initiativesbeing developed

within the Community’s

SET Plan

demonstrator could be an experimental platformto address innovative fuel development,including for the SFR prototype, for testingspecific minor actinide-bearing fuel todemonstrate and optimise transmutation andalso for addressing the development of hightemperature applications for industrial end-users. These reactors would also provide facilitiesfor experimental irradiations and minor actinidetransmutation.

3.5 Non-electric applications of nuclear energy

SNETP also places a high priority on therapid development of non-electricapplications of nuclear energy in order to

significantly reduce CO2 emissions in line withEU policy objectives.Non-electric energy is at present mostlyproduced by fossil fuel burning, giving rise to themajority of CO2 emissions. Europe places a highpriority on the rapid development of non-electric applications of nuclear energy, involvingthe demonstration in the short-term ofcogeneration and the coupling of a nuclearpower plant, e.g.High TemperatureReactor8 (HTR) withan industrial processthereby significantlyreducing emissionsfrom as early as the2020s.Past achievements, aswell as recent

developments over the last ten years in Europe,suggest the potential for a fast track deploymentof nuclear power for industrial process heatapplications. However, in order to verify that theintegration of all the different developmentsinto an industrial system is feasible and toprovide industrial process heat users with theevidence of licensing feasibility and compliancewith industrial requirements (availability,reliability, flexibility, economic viability, absenceof risks….), a demonstration of a real couplingbetween a nuclear heat source and actual processheat applications is necessary.Such a demonstration will be possible onlythrough a partnership between nuclear vendorsand operators on the one hand, and end-userindustries on the other hand. Such a partnershipis presently initiated in FP7 by theEUROPAIRS project (nuclear industry + oilengineering companies, chemicals and fertilizermanufacturers, steel industry). Representativesof the regulators and of Technical SafetyOrganisations also participate in the project, inorder to guide the developments by specifyingrequirements for licensing acceptability of thereactor and of its coupling with industrialapplications.On the basis of the technological assets from thehistorical legacy and recent developments, andof the partnership initiated by EUROPAIRS,SNETP recommends that the next step is toevaluate the establishment of the conceptualdesign for a cogeneration nuclear systemcoupled with industrial process heatapplications, with necessary supporting R&Dfor the nuclear reactor, the application processesand the coupling system. An industrial initiativeshould be launched without delay to perform thenext phases of design and construction of thedemonstrator, which would allow start of


8 - Formerly the HTR technologyhas been developed in Europeup to the operation of anindustrial prototype (THTR).Since these past achievements, a new breakthrough occurred in HTR technology, with thedevelopment of the modularconcept. Nevertheless, even if the viability of this concepthas been validated for small test reactors, it has still to bedemonstrated at industrial scale.Without excluding the possibleuse of other types of nuclearsystems, the modular HTR hasspecific assets for a large andearly deployment of nuclear co-generation of electricity and industrial process heat.

Fig. 13. Preliminary roadmap for cogeneration (Courtesy by HTR-TN)

SNETP places a highpriority on the rapiddevelopment of non-electric applications of

nuclear energy inorder to significantly

reduce CO2emissions.

operation in the early 2020s.As the required power output is only modest,there will be no significant scaling up betweenthe demonstrator and the commercial reactor.This demonstrator can therefore be considered a‘first-of-a-kind’, preparing for rapid industrialdeployment of “nuclear cogeneration”, thuscontributing to the SET-Plan objectives,expectedly before 2030.In parallel to thedevelopment of thedemonstrator, R&Don advanced materi-als and fuel should becontinued to preparefor longer-termimprovement ofHTR performance.In addition, develop-ments in thetechnology for cou-pling the nuclear reactor with process heatapplications and feedback from operation of thecogeneration demonstrator will be of benefit forpossible longer-term use of FNRs as a heatsource for some process heat applications. It istherefore recommended to develop synergiesbetween the HTR and Gen IV Fast Reactorssystems, most particularly, but not exclusively,the GFR.

❚The FNR prototype and demonstrator andthe cogeneration demonstrator are keyprojects for SNETP’s research agenda.SNETP recommends that the MemberStates and the European Union stronglysupport the corresponding EuropeanIndustrial Initiatives.

3.6 Funding of European Industrial Initiatives

AMemorandum of Understanding for theEuropean Sustainable Nuclear IndustrialInitiative (ESNII) is being established

by some SNETP stakeholders for FNR develop-ment. Another Industrial Initiative, possibly withinternational partnership, is under preparationfor “nuclear cogeneration” development.The par-ties to these two industrial initiatives will set uptask forces to elaborate roadmaps in terms ofdesign, planning, budget, intellectual and indus-trial property issues and to support the

preparation of private-public and eveninternational partner-ships.The EuropeanIndustrial Initiativeswill require significantinvestment: estimatessuggest that the costs

might range from EUR2009 8 to 10 billions forFNR and about 3.5 billions for the developmentof a nuclear cogeneration plant coupled withprocess heat applications. These costs for theEuropean Union could be significantly reducedin case of international sharing of thedevelopments. A large part of these costs couldbe repaid by a return from the future revenuesgenerated by these technologies. However, thecosts of the programme are subject touncertainties (regulatory framework evolution,unrecoverable costs resulting from immaturetechnology, learning curve effect).Therefore, a better coordination and funding ofR&D programmes at European level must bedeveloped, combining EU (e.g. FrameworkProgramme), national and private initiatives.SNETP will interact with the EuropeanCommission, the Steering Group and theEuropean Energy Research Alliance under theSET-Plan to reach this objective. TheCommunication from the EC on the funding ofthe SET-Plan proposes ways and means for thefunding of low carbon energy technologiesincluding nuclear fission. However, this will onlycome to fruition if all efforts, at national and EUlevel, are properly coordinated and focus on clearand agreed objectives. Public–privatepartnerships will also be necessary fortechnologies closer to the market.The sharing of funding will depend on the partof the programme under consideration: for theSFR prototype (which is closer tocommercialisation) participation of industrywould be higher than for LFR or GFRdemonstrators or testing facilities.

❚European funding needs for this R&Deffort are estimated at EUR2009 11.5-13.5Billions in the 2010-2020 period, whichcould be significantly reduced in case ofinternational partnerships.The share of thecost is estimated at 80% from the public sec-tor (national and/or EU) and 20% fromindustry (mostly vendors, utilities and end-users).


The EuropeanIndustrial Initiativesneed co-investment

from private andpublic sources.

Past and recentdevelopments in

Europe suggest thepotential for a fast

track deployment ofnuclear power for

industrial process heatapplications.

3.7 Nuclear R&D coordination and organisation

3.7.1. Increasing the level ofcooperation and reducingfragmentation in Europe

For maximum effectiveness, a concertedapproach at the EU level is required with

continued cooperation between Member Statesand nuclear energy stakeholders. Significantefforts are required to maintain infrastructures,competences and know-how, and to continuelong-term research activities, e.g. thosesupported in previous Community programmes.European integration in the nuclear sector start-ed with Euratom, the Framework Programmesand other EuropeanCommission initia-tives or betweenprivate companies.Operating at theEuropean scalerequires further har-monisation andstandardisation oflicensing processes,including codes andstandards, improvedcoordinated R&D between all stakeholders(utilities, vendors, design authorities, research,Technical Safety Organisations), education andtraining of the existing workforce, etc.Also, SNETP will strengthen informationexchange and synergy with other Europeantechnology platforms with common R&D

interests (e.g. hydrogen production).In addition, the joint development of codes andstandards should be a European shared tool inorder to capitalise on knowledge gained in aEuropean framework and to industrialise theresults of R&D.

BBaassiicc rreesseeaarrcchh iinnffrraassttrruuccttuurree aanndd ccoommppeetteennccee

Research infrastructures are key to a successfulR&D programme as well as to education andtraining. They range from large, expensivelaboratory complexes to high performancecomputing resources and modelling platforms.Experiments are critical to better understandnuclear phenomena and develop knowledge andare further used to validate models and qualifymaterials.


Fig. 15: INVAP-Isolux’s economically most advantageous PALLASdesign (copyright INVAP and NRG)

Fig. 14: Artist's view of the Jules Horowitz Reactor JRH (Courtesy of CEA)

Fig. 16: Overall design of 50-100 MWth MYRRHA/XT-ADS (Courtesy of SCK•CEN)

30

To preserve itstechnological and

industrial leadership, the European nuclearsector must increase

the level ofcooperation and

reduce fragmentation of efforts


SNETP strongly recommends keeping adequateresearch infrastructures across the EU in orderto support national nuclear researchprogrammes and training of students or nationaloperators.Europe has built a very good quality researchinfrastructure since the beginning of its nuclearprogrammes but many experimental reactors arenow ageing. They will require upgrading as wellas replacement.Support may cover design, refurbishment, con-struction and/or operation of keyinfrastructures. This could include material testfacilities and training reactors. All are necessaryto maintain high standards of technical achieve-ment, innovation and safety in the Europeannuclear sector.In order to make best use of infrastructures inEurope, research facilities should network tooffer mutual services to one another. This repre-sents an optimal use of competences andcapabilities. Mobility of researchers and teachersmust in consequence be supported as much aspossible. Adequate support for the transportingand sharing of irradiated fuels and materialsamong irradiation and research facilities shouldbe provided, including an effort to harmoniselicence requirements and procedures.Some very large multipurpose research infra-structures will be critical to R&D. They are bestfunded by national programmes in combinationwith private funds, supplemented by EC fund-ing for making available R&D capacity. Suchlarge infrastructures are necessary for nuclearresearch and must be supported in Europe.

HHuummaann rreessoouurrcceess,, mmoobbiilliittyy aanndd ttrraaiinniinngg

Changes in nuclear technology will coincidewith changes in the workforce. This is both achallenge and an opportunity. There is a need toaccelerate the development of a skills pipelinebetween university and industry to attract youngtalented people.Engineers hired in the boom period of the 1970swill soon reach retirement age. Experienceacquired over the intervening decades byoperators, research centres, regulators orTechnical Safety Organisations is a pricelessasset that must be transferred to youngergenerations. It should be stressed that thecurrent high level of nuclear safety is criticallydependent on retaining and recruiting people

with the necessary scientific competence andknow-how.Collaboration between these organisations anduniversities should be deepened.■ Need for new recruitment and the education &

training of new staff;■ Maintain state-of-the-art research infrastructures;■ Transfer of knowledge from the nuclear industry to

academia (and remedying the lack of teachers).To guarantee the availability of suitably qualifiedresearchers, engineers and technicians in thelong-term, further development of scientificcompetence and human capacity (for instancethrough joint training activities) is necessary.Coordination between educational institutionsacross the EU, with networks such as theEuropean Nuclear Education Network(ENEN), should be further improved, and thetraining and mobility of students and scientistsfacilitated. Coordinated training initiatives, suchas the European Nuclear Energy LeadershipAcademy (ENELA) proposed by industry, mustbe promoted.Nuclear education and training schemes will befurther harmonised and extended to meetstakeholder needs in areas of reactor systems,radioactive waste management and radiationprotection. This will help provide attractiveinternational opportunities for young peoplewanting to enter the field.This truly pan-European approach will providethe incentives for a new generation of nuclearscientists and engineers who will facetomorrow's scientific and technologicalchallenges in an increasingly integrated sectoron behalf of Europe's citizens.

3.7.2. Improving Nuclear FissionR&D coordination at the EU level

To reduce fragmentation of efforts, topicsand actions presented in the Strategic

Research Agenda should be prioritised and theresearch effort more effectively organised.The prioritisation process has been launched in2009 and will be completed by mid-2010. Themost important research topics have to beidentified, with funding and research activitiesbeing concentrated on the most critical issues.SNETP will then be in a position to propose aninitiative aimed at organising effectively thecarrying out of nuclear fission R&D byEuropean stakeholders.

This would cover the following issues:■ programme and project definition;■ funding;■ selection of appropriate R&D actors;■ assessment of results;■ implementation, dissemination of results.

The participating stakeholders therefore need tobe able to carry out collectively:■ an R&D joint programming process, bringing

together nuclear stakeholders to discuss strategicR&D needs, identify near- & long-term issues,provide strategic & business guidance to R&Dstaff, allocate budgets, decide programmelaunching or closing, select R&D providers;

■ an R&D delivery process, covering the operationalprogress of each project, assessing value of newand on-going projects, ensuring that deliverablesmeet the objectives on time and with expectedadded value and quality.

SNETP is ready to assess in 2010 theimplementation of a ‘smart structure’ which willmake it possible to share R&D needs and R&Dresource leverage. The needs should beexpressed mostly by utilities, vendors, TechnicalSafety Organisations, but also by researchorganisations for upstream R&D. The resourcesshould be provided mostly by researchorganisations, but also by other stakeholderswhen relevant.Three Workings Groups (one for Gen II andGen III reactors, one for Gen IV fast reactorsand one for nuclear cogeneration) were launchedin 2009.An “Implementation” document / Action planwill be elaborated in 2010 to describe howresearch will be organised in all three workinggroups. Therefore a common methodology willbe used to prioritise the research needs. Cross-topic issues will be covered within each of therelevant working groups.After initial implementation feedback, a suitablemode of operation for SNETP stakeholders willbe proposed.The group on Gen II and Gen III will workwith the existing NULIFE network (devoted tothe long-term operation of the current fleet)where the end-users have already defined someprojects on a case by case basis.The group will act as the driving force toestablish a European Industrial Initiative withreference to the 2020 objective of the SET-Plan

“maintain competitiveness in fissiontechnologies, together with long-term wastemanagement solutions”.

3.7.3. Longer term perspectives for SNETP

SNETP isparamount inbringing toge-

ther nuclear energystakeholders. It willcontinue its activitiesand aims to play aleading role in:

■ coordinating and implementing research,development and demonstration initiatives;

■ coordinating collaborative efforts within EUMember States willing to engage in the furtherdevelopment of fission energy, as well as withnon-EU countries via a mutual benefit approach;

■ Promoting actions in the field of Education &Training;

■ Providing strategic technical advice to theEuropean Commission, e.g. possible orientationsof Euratom Framework Programmes.

IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall CCooooppeerraattiioonn

Many countries have been pursuing ambitiousresearch programmes in nuclear fission fordecades and effort is now accelerating on the eveof a nuclear renaissance worldwide. Gen IVresearch in particular is a key area in the race forthe deployment of advanced nuclear systems.Outside Europe, Russia, Japan and India haveeach accumulated significant experience withsodium-cooled reactors. China will commissionits first sodium-cooled research reactor in thenear future. South Africa is supporting the high-temperature Pebble Bed Modular Reactor;China plans to commission its own pebble bedreactor as early as 2013, and is already involvedin site construction; the US-DoE has stronglyincreased funding for the US HTR project.All countries interested in Gen IV reactors havegathered in the so-called Generation IVInternational Forum (GIF). Other researchprogrammes for Gen IV reactors were set up inrecent years. This demonstrates the globalinterest in advanced reactors.SNETP is a European forum and will thereforefocus on the R&D agenda of interest to Europe.But research topics of common interest with


In the longer term,SNETP can play aleading role in all

nuclear-related R&Dactivities.

third countries are likely to emerge and aninternational collaborative framework will needto be set up to best represent Europeanstakeholders and find optimal solutions for allparties.However, it must be recognised that EUindustry and R&D organisations should firsthave their own well-funded Gen IV R&Dprogramme in order to strengthen theirtechnology leadership and be in a good positionto negotiate international cooperationagreements.International cooperation in the field ofeducation and training is also stronglyrecommended. For countries with longstandingnuclear programmes or for nuclear newcomers,education and training is the best way topromote a common understanding of nuclear

standards and safety approaches and to sharebest practices. This will ultimately open upnumerous business opportunities. SNETP willtherefore bring interested Europeanstakeholders together and recommend aframework for collaboration in education andtraining activities.

KKnnoowwlleeddggee ddiisssseemmiinnaattiioonn

SNETP will also promote:■ the dissemination of knowledge from nuclear R&D

to the public through appropriate communicationactivities;

■ the establishment of a true scientific basis fordecisions, based on maximum transparency.


aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

What next?


This Deployment Strategy identifies thekey actions necessary to implementSNETP’s Strategic Research Agenda

(released in 2009), overcome the technical andnon-technical barriers, deliver its results andcommunicate its benefits and impact to decisionmakers and the general public.

The next step is the issuing of the Platform’sImplementation Plan, expected to be publishedby the end of 2010.

The Deployment Strategy will be periodicallyreviewed and updated.


aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Glossary of acronyms& Contributors


Glossary of acronyms

■ EERA European Energy Research Alliance www.eera-set.eu

■ ENELA European Nuclear Energy Leadership Academy http://www.enela.eu/

■ ENEN European Nuclear Education Network http://www.enen-assoc.org/

■ EPR European Pressurised Reactor

■ ESNII European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative www.snetp.eu/esnii

■ ETP European Technology Platform http://cordis.europa.eu/technology-platforms

■ EUR European Utility Requirements www.europeanutilityrequirements.org

■ FNR Fast Neutron Reactor

■ GFR Gas-cooled Fast Reactor

■ GIF Generation IV International Forum www.gen-4.org

■ HTR High Temperature Reactor

■ IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency http://www.iaea.org/

■ IEA International Energy Agency http://www.iea.org/

■ IGD-TP Implementing Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste Technology Platform http://www.igdtp.eu/

■ LFR Lead-cooled Fast Reactor

■ LTO Long Term Operation

■ LWR Light Water Reactor

■ MSR Molten Salt Reactor

■ NPP Nuclear Power Plant

■ NEA/OECD Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development http://www.nea.fr/

■ SCWR Supercritical Water-cooled Reactor

■ SET-Plan Strategic Energy Technology Plan http://ec.europa.eu/energy/technology/set_plan/set_plan_en.htm

■ SFR Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor

■ SNETP Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform www.snetp.eu

■ SRA Strategic Research Agenda

■ (US) DoE United States Department of Energy

■ (V)HTR (Very) High Temperature Reactor

Contributors

The Chairman of the Deployment StrategyWorking Group, Olivier Marchand (EDF),wishes to acknowledge the contribution of thefollowing members of the platform:

SSNNEETTPP MMeemmbbeerrss::

■ Denis Acker (CEA)

■ Hamid Aït Abderrrahim (SCK●CEN)

■ Alexandre Bredimas (E.ON)

■ Ulf Bredolt (WESTINGHOUSE)

■ Noel Camarcat (EDF)

■ Marylise Caron-Charles (AREVA)

■ Igino Chellini (ENEL)

■ Alain Chevalier (AMEC)

■ Sander De Groot (NRG)

■ Michel Debes (EDF)

■ Jean-Michel Delbecq (EDF)

■ Andreas Ehlert (E.ON)

■ Thomas Fanghaenel (JRC)

■ Jean-Pierre Faulot (EDF)


■ Concetta Fazio (KIT)

■ Erwin Fischer (E.ON)

■ Luc Geraets (GDF SUEZ)

■ Bernd Güthoff (E.ON)

■ Didier Haas (JRC)

■ Benedikt Hecking (E.ON)

■ Richard Ivens (FORATOM)

■ Yves Kaluzny (CEA)

■ Gérard Labadie (EDF)

■ Marcel Lebadezet (AREVA)

■ Tomas Lefvert (VATTENFALL)

■ Pablo Teofilo Leon (ENDESA)

■ Jan-Erik Lindback (VATTENFALL)

■ Giuliano Locatelli (ANSALDO)

■ Andrés Felipe Martinez (IBERDROLA)

■ Ludger Mohrbach (VGB)

■ Stefano Monti (ENEA)

■ Patrick Morilhat (EDF)

■ Thierry Nkaoua (AREVA)

■ Volker Noack (RWE)

■ Henri Paillère (CEA)

■ Stefan J. Persson (VATTENFALL)

■ André Pirlet (CEN)

■ Rauno Rintamaa (VTT)

■ Veijo Ryhanen (TVO)

■ Edouard Scott de Martinville (IRSN)

■ Frank Sommer (E.ON)

EExxtteerrnnaall CCoonnttrriibbuuttoorrss::

■ Marc Deffrennes (EC)

■ Michel Hugon (EC)

■ Georges Van-Goethem (EC)

■ Simon Webster (EC)

RReevviieeww TTeeaamm ffrroomm tthhee SSeeccrreettaarriiaatt::

■ Pascal Chaix (CEA)

■ Vincent Chauvet (LGI)

■ Miroslav Hrehor (UJV)

■ Gabriela Miu (LGI)


Editors: DS Working Group and SNETP Secretariat | Design: LGI Consulting with Noème

ww

w.SN

ETP.e

u

DS maquette interieure · 2020. 6. 18. · Commission, the SET-Plan governance bodies and the...

Documents

Transcript of DS maquette interieure · 2020. 6. 18. · Commission, the SET-Plan governance bodies and the...