Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) - Nuclear technology

Education, training and knowledge management in nuclear science and technology are very high priority, topical issues for the international community, notably in the context of a prospective nuclear renaissance. There is great concern that skilled manpower in sufficient quantities, as well as adequate infrastructures for collecting and disseminating information will not be available.

This expert group was set up to conduct a study, and the overall objective was to identify the key issues addressed by governments for facilitating the financing of nuclear power plants when nuclear energy was considered a relevant option for policy reasons, such as enhancing security of supply and/or alleviating the risk of global climate change.

The goal of the Ad Hoc Expert Group on Physical Limits to the Development of Nuclear Energy was to analyse and document the physical limits, if any, arising from a possible significant increase in nuclear energy generating capacity.

The Ad hoc Expert Group on Nuclear Energy and Security of Supply, which had been formed to carry out the study, met for the first time on 22-23 November 2007 at OECD/NEA offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. The 20 experts from member countries and the French research institution Sciences Po who attended the meeting discussed possible qualitative and quantitative approaches to measuring the security of energy supply. 

The NEA Ad hoc Expert Group on Reducing the Costs of Nuclear Power Generation was established in 2018 to evaluate the construction cost reduction opportunities arising at different levels and timeframes.

The overall aim of this expert group was to produce a definitive study across NEA member countries of the costs of management and disposal of radioactive waste from the nuclear fuel cycle on a common basis.

Extending the lifetime of nuclear power plants is becoming common practice in OECD member countries. While applying for an extended operating licence, most operators are planning technical improvements, safety upgrades and modification of fuel characteristics and performance as well as refuelling patterns and lead times.

The goal of the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle is to provide authoritative, reliable information on nuclear technologies, economics, strategies and resources to governments for use in policy analyses and decision-making.

This expert group investigated what are the cogeneration capabilities of various advanced reactor designs, as well as the flexibility they may have to switch from electricity generation to heat production depending on electricity market conditions.

Decommissioning activities are clearly set to increase internationally, giving rise to a sizeable market, growing in business and competition. Meanwhile, ongoing decommissioning work continue at a sustained rate in the numerous legacy sites. It is thus clear that the challenges faced by the industry in relation to decommissioning are significant, spanning technical, political, financial, social and environmental issues, and raising questions over the adequacy of the necessary expertise and infrastructure, as well as the ability to finance the costs.

The Expert Group conducted an appraisal of existing studies and data on the economic costs of severe nuclear accidents that have occurred in civil nuclear energy.

Challenges related to extended storage are topical in most countries with mature nuclear programmes. Effort to address this issue is ongoing in individual countries. Available knowledge from member countries is gathered and appraised to identify and assess the impact of technical, safety and regulatory, economic and social factors related to different storage options, fuel types and technical conditions. Strategies to manage waste, i.e. managing the time and phasing of decisions to ensure that the best decisions are made at the right time, are analysed in this context. The main output of the expert group will be a state-of-the-art report.

This ongoing series on projected costs of generating electricity presents and analyses cost estimates for some 130 power and co-generation (heat and power) plants using coal, gas, nuclear and renewable energy sources. 

This report is based upon an in-depth analysis of research work and published literature on risk perception and communication , public participation in policy and decision making and the evolution of public opinion on nuclear energy. It will be of interest to policy makers, governmental agencies and industry. Additionally, members of civil society and various stakeholders eager to learn more about social issues related to the development of nuclear energy will find relevant information in this report.

The results outlined in the report should lead to new and more comprehensive research on the full costs of electricity, which in turn would allow policy makers and the public to make better informed decisions along the path towards fully sustainable electricity systems.