Year
2012
Abstract
New nuclear energy deployment may be deaccelerated for the time being by the occurrence of the Fukushima NPP accident, while it is expected that the need of nuclear energy sustain in the long-term views, in order to avoid the global climate changes and provide energy security/independence. In expansive use of nuclear energy, many emerging countries in utilization of nuclear energy would like to have a reliable system of fresh fuel supply, free of any political disruptions to fuel their nuclear reactors. At the same time, the ability to provide assurance that the spent fuel could be managed properly is equally important. An international cooperative system among regional countries involving small emerging countries, which includes services for fresh fuel supply, spent fuel take-back/take-away, interim storage, reprocessing, and possibly spent fuel (HLW) repository disposal, may be able to contribute to a) reduction of risks on so-called 3S, safety, safeguards and security, b) enhancement of economic rationality, c) promotion of confidence-building, and d) prevention to the occurrence of unfair business such as government-to-government transaction based on cradle-to-grave service that nuclear weapon state’s privilege enables.