The Enrichment Bond – a Nuclear Fuel Assurance Initiative

There is a growing interest in nuclear power generation throughout the world, to meet increasing energy demands and to help address global warming. This has led to proliferation concerns, as States may wish to become self-sufficient in the nuclear fuel cycle resulting in the spread of enrichment and/or reprocessing technology. There have therefore been calls, led by the IAEA Director General, to avoid this situation through the development of multi-lateral nuclear fuel cycle approaches. Several approaches have been suggested, ranging from physical reserves of nuclear fuel under international control to new internationally sited and operated fuel-cycle plants. This paper will briefly discuss the various approaches and describe a proposal developed in the UK – the enrichment bond.