A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR

NUCLEAR POWER DEPLOYMENT

Maurizio Martellini, Secretary General

Thomas Shea, Senior Scientist

Landau Network – Centro Volta

2010 MOSCOW NONPROLIFERATION CONFERENCEMarch 4-6, 2010

SECTION 5: Nuclear Energy “Renaissance”: Opportunities and Challenges

Existing Arrangements

Increased deployment of nuclear power

could helping to meet growing energy

demand and in furthering the shift to less

carbon-intense energy sources. If nuclear

power is to to expand significantly into new

states, the key problems of safety,

safeguards and security must be

addressed in a manner that will enable the

developing areas of the world to benefit.

Equitable Access to Nuclear

Technology

Emerging nuclear states may have

difficulty in acting as informed consumers

of nuclear technology due to lack of

experience, inability to finance the high

capital costs of nuclear power, and the

leverage of suppliers. This leads to slower

deployment of nuclear power, to

compromises in quality, and to potentially

to the selection of inappropriate

technologies.

Safe and Secure Nuclear Power

Operations

Emerging nuclear states may lack the

experience and resources to mange

nuclear power safely and securely. This is

a concern both for its own sake (accidents,

radiation exposure, malicious acts in the

host state) and for the adverse effect any

nuclear incident could have on nuclear

energy development worldwide.

Proliferation

The expansion of nuclear power could increase the risk of proliferation, especially through:– development of indigenous enrichment and/or

reprocessing (ENR), which could be used for a nuclear weapons program;

– accumulation of spent fuel, which could be a source of plutonium for nuclear weapons;

– inadequate safeguards, security, and/or export control which could enable the misuse of civilian nuclear material or technology.

Problem Cases

The first three problems apply generally to states seeking to develop nuclear power programs.

In addition, there are a few States whose nuclear programs raise significant proliferation concerns.

Failure to address them could adversely affect the global expansion of nuclear power.

A Proposed

Convention on Nuclear Power

A Convention on Nuclear Power could establish a new framework for international nuclear commerce with the aim of facilitating the global expansion of nuclear power while enhancing safety, security, and nonproliferation.

To succeed, it would have to meet the legitimate needs of the developing world, the nuclear industry, and the international community.

Role of the Convention

The proposed Convention on Nuclear Power would constitute a “grand bargain” among supplier states and user states for international nuclear commerce, facilitating the global expansion of nuclear power while enhancing safety, security, and nonproliferation.

Optional elements of the Convention could address assured fresh fuel supply, spent fuel disposition, quality assurance of reactor design and operation, financing of nuclear power, and extraterritorial siting of selected nuclear facilities.

The Convention could be implemented by the Parties, the nuclear industry, a nuclear power deployment commission, and the IAEA.

Supply of Goods and

ServicesPotential suppliers would advise the Nuclear Power Deployment Commission of the goods & services they are prepared to provide. Potential recipients would apply to the NPDC for the goods & services they seek.

The NPDC would match vetted suppliers with vetted recipients.

Recipients could request the NPDC to: a. facilitate the negotiation of a supply contract between the recipient

and the user, or

b. purchase the goods and services itself and provide them to the recipient on an assured basis backed by all Parties

NPDC would carry out independent quality assurance activities to ensure that all supply provisions are completed in accordance with the provisions of the relevant contracts.

Stringent safety, security, and nonproliferation requirements would apply to the supply of nuclear goods and services under the Convention.

Finance

The Convention could establish a Nuclear Power Deployment Fund (Fund) to receive monetary and in-kind disbursements from several sources, perhaps including a surcharge on nuclear power generation.

Spent Fuel Disposition

Under the Convention, Contracting Partiescould establish and operate a Spent Fuel Disposition System consisting of:a. a network of International Spent Fuel Reception

Centers to provide transitional (interim) storage

b. a network of International Spent Fuel Recycle Centers, and

c. a network of international Nuclear Waste Repositories.

These facilities could be located on extraterritorial sites administered by the IAEA.

Extraterritorial Agreements

The Convention could authorize the IAEA to conclude extraterritorial agreements for nuclear facilities and activities on territory to be administered by the IAEA.

Such arrangements could accelerate the introduction of nuclear power or nuclear fuel cycle facilities into regions otherwise not able to support such activities, to facilitate the creation of installations needed by the international community, or to resolve problem situations.

Extra-territorial arrangements could potentially include uranium mining and milling, enrichment and fuel fabrication, nuclear reactors, spent fuel storage sites and waste repositories.

The facilities could operated by competent industrial organizations and regulated by the host State, the vendor state, or a combination as agreed.

Next Steps

• Convene a Work Shop in Como with ca. 15 experts to review and modify the existing 19-page draft Convention.

• In cooperation with the IAEA, convene a meeting in Vienna inviting all IAEA Member State delegations, perhaps in the margins of the 2010 IAEA General Conference.

• See sponsors for convening a diplomatic conference leading to the conclusion of the Convention.

• Securing participation.

A NEW FRAMEWORK FOR

NUCLEAR POWER DEPLOYMENT

Maurizio Martellini, Secretary General

Thomas Shea, Senior Scientist

Landau Network – Centro Volta

2010 MOSCOW NONPROLIFERATION CONFERENCEMarch 4-6, 2010

SECTION 5: Nuclear Energy “Renaissance”: Opportunities and Challenges