New prospects for nuclear energy use worldwide are increasingly apparent in many countries with, along World Nuclear Association’s projections, possibly up to a tripling of the world’s nuclear reactor fleet by around 2050. The WNA’s Fuel Report is a reference report considering three scenarios for nuclear energy: the Reference Scenario, informed by government and utility targets and objectives; the Lower Scenario, which assumes delays in implementing these plans; and the Upper Scenario, which is underpinned by more favorable conditions, largely reflecting the targets announced in many countries to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, and the acceptance that nuclear power will play an indispensable role in reaching this goal. These scenarios being projected until 2040.
The Sustainable Used Fuel Management Working Group (SUFM) and the Fuel Report Group initiated considerations regarding the post-2040 impact of a growing nuclear energy use worldwide and what this may entail in the nuclear fuel cycle. Nuclear-21, as active member of WNA and active in various working groups, undertook the in-depth analysis of such future nuclear energy scenarios and particularly the country-per-country nuclear power park prospects and the fuel cycle policies and resulting front-end fuel cycle requirements and the inventories arising in the back-end of the fuel cycle.
As Nuclear-21, using our proprietary toolbox NESSAT (Nuclear Energy System Strategies Assessment Toolbox) provides a comprehensive set of simulation codes allowing to analyse time-evolving nuclear energy systems and the fuel cycle and waste management evolutions, covering technical as well as economic aspects.
More details in NESSAT can be obtained via Mr. Luc Van Den Durpel.
