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New perspectives on nuclear power—Generation IV nuclear energy systems to strengthen nuclear non-proliferation and support nuclear disarmament
- Source :
- Energy Policy. 73:815-819
- Publication Year :
- 2014
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2014.
-
Abstract
- Recently, nuclear power has received support from environmental and climate researchers emphasizing the need to address factors of global importance such as climate change, peace and welfare. Here, we add to previous discussions on meeting future climate goals while securing safe supplies of energy by discussing future nuclear energy systems in the perspective of strengthening nuclear non-proliferation and aiding in the process of reducing stockpiles of nuclear weapons materials. New nuclear energy systems, currently under development within the Generation IV (Gen IV) framework, are being designed to offer passive safety and inherent means to mitigate consequences of nuclear accidents. Here, we describe how these systems may also be used to reduce or even eliminate stockpiles of civil and military plutonium—the former present in waste from today׳s reactors and the latter produced for weapons purposes. It is argued that large-scale implementation of Gen IV systems would impose needs for strong nuclear safeguards. The deployment of Safeguards-by-Design principles in the design and construction phases can avoid draining of IAEA resources by enabling more effective and cost-efficient nuclear safeguards, as compared to the current safeguards implementation, which was enforced decades after the first nuclear power plants started operation.
- Subjects :
- Disarmament
Engineering
business.industry
Process (engineering)
Nuclear engineering
Energy (esotericism)
ComputerApplications_COMPUTERSINOTHERSYSTEMS
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
Nuclear power
Nuclear weapon
Future climate
General Energy
Risk analysis (engineering)
Software deployment
Nuclear safeguards
business
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 03014215
- Volume :
- 73
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Energy Policy
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi...........d25a71010e7d5ee3d74b3aa884381b14