Introduction to the Euratom Research and Training Programme

Transcription

1 Introduction to the Euratom Research and Training Programme P. Fernandez Ruiz European Commission Director, Research Directorate General, Energy Summary Management of radioactive waste is a priority area in the 6 th Euratom Framework Programme (FP6) for nuclear research and training activities ( ). It has also played a prominent role in earlier Framework Programmes. The main purpose of the support given through the Framework Programmes is to encourage stronger co-operation between different research organisations in Europe in order to increase the efficiency of the research and to foster a common European view on the main issues related to the management and disposal of waste. The areas covered in FP5 concern waste management strategies, geological disposal, partitioning and transmutation and decommissioning. In geological disposal the projects deal with performance/safety assessment, repository technology and engineered barrier systems, demonstration and assessment in URLs, long-term behaviour of repository systems, quality checking of waste packages and public attitudes and involvement. The work on partitioning includes development of new processes for extraction of the minor actinides (Americium and Curium). Both conventional wet hydro-metallurgical and dry pyro-chemical processes are studied. The research on transmutation is centred around the Accelerator Driven System (ADS). This includes early design studies for an experimental ADS, as well as research on basic nuclear data, fuels, targets and technological support. In FP6 the organisation of work will be different; instead of having many small projects most of the funding will go to a few fairly large projects. The main objective of FP6 is to further increase the co-operation between the various players in the field: the research organisations the implementers, the industry, the regulators, in order to help create the European Research Area. Although some projects in FP5 are still on-going and the first projects of FP6 have only started, now is the time to start thinking about FP7. The purpose of FP7 will surely be to further increase the close collaboration between the different players in the field. 1. Introduction Safe management of radioactive waste and implementation of all steps in the management chain is an important responsibility for the present generation enjoying the benefits of nuclear electricity. Absence of a broadly agreed approach to waste management and disposal is one of the main impediments to the continued and future use of nuclear energy. Although management of waste is a national responsibility there are a large number of issues of common interest between the Member States. The common development of a sound technical and socially acceptable basis for decisions on waste management strategies and disposal technologies requires close collaboration between the different countries. Research on waste management is thus

2 important in the Euratom Framework Programme, and indeed the funding has been increased by about 50 % from FP5 to FP6. Other priorities in Euratom FP6 are fusion energy, radiation protection, and other activities in nuclear fission, such as reactor safety, innovative reactors and education and training. 2. The European Research Area and the organisation of research Several studies have shown that research in general in Europe is very fragmented and thus neither achieves the results nor uses the results as effectively as could be wished. This is one reason why Commissioner Busquin in 2000 launched the concept of a European Research Area (ERA). In March 2000 the Lisbon Summit agreed on a new strategic goal for the European Union: "Europe should become the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world by 2010". The ERA is one component of this strategy and aims at bringing the development of research policies of the different Member States closer together and a closer networking of the research capacities in Europe. Another component is the agreement between the Member States to increase their investments in research to approach 3 % of GDP by Two-thirds of the research investments should be made by industry. A main challenge is thus to make R&D investment in Europe more attractive to industry, through a wide range of policies at regional, national and EU level. The studies on the effectiveness of research have not specifically looked at the nuclear sector, but are more general. Nevertheless, although much co-operation already exists in the nuclear sector, and even more so in the research on radioactive waste management and disposal, it can certainly be further improved. This is an issue that we would like to discuss with you during these remaining two days. In particular how you see the role of the Commission in further improving the collaboration. FP6 has the aim of closer integration of research through integrated projects and networks of excellence. These projects are larger and should be better coordinated than in FP5. In FP5 we supported 61 projects in radioactive waste management with a total funding of about 60 M. The expectation for FP6 is that we will only support projects, but with a total funding of about 90 M. On average the projects will thus be at least 5 times larger. By having larger projects we can "outsource" the integration of the work to the projects themselves. 3. Instruments in FP6 In FP6 the three main new instruments are the Integrated projects, the Networks of Excellence and the Integrated Infrastructure Initiatives. In addition the "old" instruments like Specific Targeted Research Projects and Co-ordination Actions are kept, as well as the important training activities like fellowships, grants and special training courses. However, about 80 % of the funding is expected to be used for the new instruments. Integrated projects are designed to achieve ambitious, clearly defined scientific and technological objectives by integrating the critical mass of activities and resources needed. The key words here are ambitious and integrated.

3 The Network of Excellence is the really innovative instrument in FP6. It is designed to strengthen Europe's excellence on particular research topics by tackling the fragmentation of European research. It should lead to a close and durable integration of the involved research organisations. Integrated Infrastructure Initiatives are similar to Networks of Excellence but are restricted to infrastructures. The objective is to support the integrated provision of infrastructure services to the research community at a European level. It includes networking, transnational access to research facilities and joint research activities to develop the infrastructures. 4. Waste management research in FP Overview The research in the different areas for waste management in FP5 will be presented in detail during these last two days of the conference. Synthesis papers will be given in the plenary sessions, while more detailed information is given in the posters. Here only a short overview of the work and how it comes together will be given. R&D on radioactive waste management and disposal has been supported by Euratom since the early 1970s. The first shared cost programme was in The programme has developed over the years reflecting the developments in the MS. The R&D on geological disposal started already in the first programme and has successively become more prominent in the following programmes. Two different lines of research can be identified. (1) The first concerns the capacity to show that the entire disposal system will be able to protect man and the environment over the very long time periods considered. This includes development of tools for performance and safety assessment and improved understanding of some critical basic phenomena and processes. (2) The second line concerns the technical issues connected to the excavation of the repositories and their subsequent operation. The research in Underground Research Laboratories makes an important contribution to this development. For the last ten years there has been a renewed interest in the possibility of reducing the long-lived radioactivity in the waste by partitioning and transmutation (P&T), thereby simplifying the longterm requirements on geological disposal. First exploratory studies were made in FP4, both concerning strategies and special features of partitioning and of transmutation. In FP5, and indeed in FP6, this work has been intensified. Almost half of the budget for waste management research is devoted to P&T. The goal is to be able to evaluate the practicability, on an industrial scale, of P&T for reducing the amount of long lived radionuclides in the waste and its impact on geological disposal. In addition to the purely scientific/technical aspects of waste management, the social aspects have also been highlighted in FP5. It is well acknowledged that waste management and in particular waste disposal is not a purely technical issue, but has indeed a very important social component. In particular the wide participation of the public during the decision process should be ensured Geological disposal The main components of the research on geological disposal are shown in Fig. 1. It consists of 43 projects, covering:

4 Basic understanding of processes of the disposal system Tools and methodologies for performance and safety assessment Demonstration of repository technology, and Public attitudes and involvement Much of the research has been performed in connection to the different underground research laboratories (URL) in Asse, Mol, Äspö, Olkiluoto, Grimsel, Mont Terri and Bure. The URLs are a EURATOM FP6 - Geological Disposal Projects 5th EURATOM FP ( ) Basic understanding of processes of the disposal system {19 projects; ~12 M } Demonstration of repository technology {16 projects; ~12 M } Geological Disposal {43 projects; 29 M } Tools + Methodologies for PA/SA {6 projects; ~ 4 M } Public attitudes + involvement {2 projects; ~1 M } EURATOM RESEARCH AND TRAINING ON NUCLEAR ENERGY Figure 1. Research on geological disposal in Framework Programme 5 necessary component for making investigations at real repository conditions at depth in the bedrock. They are also very useful for testing and developing waste disposal concepts and for the practical applications in a repository. Finally one should not forget their importance in the public communication field. Seeing the real thing is very important Partitioning and transmutation The work on partitioning and transmutation has been co-ordinated within the cluster ADOPT and has the components shown in Fig.2. There are three projects dealing with partitioning and 11 projects dealing with transmutation using an accelerator driven system (ADS). The latter projects cover basic physics, fuels, and technological support studies. They are all centred around a large project for preliminary design studies that should set the course for related research. Already the embryo of an Integrated Project can be seen.

5 FP5 - Projects on ADvanced Options for Partitioning and Transmutation (ADOPT) PARTITIONING (5 MEuro) PYROREP PARTNEW CALIXPART Fuels (3.9 MEuro ) : CONFIRM THORIUM CYCLE FUTURE Preliminary Design Studies (6 MEuro ) for an Experimental ADS: PDS-XADS Basic Studies (6.5 MEuro) : MUSE HINDAS N-TOF_ND_ADS Technological Support (7.3 MEuro ) : SPIRE TECLA ASCHLIM MEGAPIE - TEST 5. Waste management in FP6 EURATOM RESEARCH AND TRAINING ON NUCLEAR ENERGY As already mentioned, the funding for R&D on waste management has increased by 50 % from FP5 to FP6, i.e. 60 to 90 M. This clearly shows the importance that the Community is giving to this area and to the need to make progress towards the closing of the loop, i.e. that repositories for all types of waste, including high level waste and spent fuel are being built and operated. To achieve this, the Commission believes that an even stronger collaboration in R&D will be necessary and highly beneficial. The result of the first call for proposal was very encouraging. Three excellent integrated projects and one network of excellence were selected with an average Community contribution of 7 M. In addition two specific targeted support projects were selected, one of them on public involvement. The second call for proposal is closing in mid-april. The Commission is hoping for several good proposals. An invitation to submit expressions of interest for preparing proposals for new Integrated Projects, Networks of Excellence and Integrated Infrastructure Initiatives has also just been closed. This exercise will help defining the topics for the last call for proposal, which will be issued this autumn. 6. Next Framework Programme The discussions about the future research policy are just starting. The Commission has, in its financial perspectives for the period , proposed to increase the funding for research. No discussion has, however, yet taken place concerning the scientific/technical content of the next Framework Programme. In a recent communication to the Council and Parliament, called Building our Common Future, the Commission proposed 5 main themes for the Union's actions in research: Stimulating the dynamism, excellence, creativity and productivity of European research by giving financial support to projects carried-out by individual research teams., in particular in basic research. Strengthening European research capacities by supporting the design, development and use of key research infrastructures, as well as the development of human resources.

6 Setting up pan-european public/private partnerships for technological research through joint initiatives based on the technology platform concept. Stimulating the development of European "poles of excellence" based on networking and collaboration through the new instruments used FP6. Improving, through specific networking mechanisms, the co-ordination of national and regional research programmes and policies Which of the above would be best suited in the case of radioactive waste management, should be a question to be discussed at this conference. 7. Conclusions Even if there is a strong agreement amongst experts that disposal can be made safely, the public will not be convinced until real repositories have been licensed and in operation. The good progress in some Member States, e.g. Finland and Sweden, is encouraging but more needs to be done. The Commission strongly believes that a close collaboration between the organisations involved in this R&D is highly beneficial. The Commission is prepared to support financially such collaboration through the different instruments available. It is, however, up to the organisations concerned to define which is the best way forward to achieve the goals. Although we are primarily going to discuss results from FP5 during this conference, and indeed some of the FP5 projects have not yet finished and the first FP6 projects are only just starting, it is already time to start thinking about next FP. How can the instruments in this programme best be used for the benefit of the development of the safe management and disposal of all the radioactive waste in Europe? The Commission would appreciate your input on this question during the coming days.