Summary of Session II

Transcription

1 Symposium: Benefits and limitations of Nuclear Fission for a Low Carbon economy Summary of Session II Gerd Wolf - EESC Revised, including corrections and orally given comments by the Rapporteur and the audience 26-Mar-13

2 Session Two Keynote Speech - Hans Püttgen Panel 3 - Research community, academia and industry MELODI European Association Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform Implementing Geological Disposal Technology Platform KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute OECD Nuclear Energy Agency Jacques Repussard Paul Howarth MarjattaPalmu JánosGadó Thierry Dujardin Panel 4- Safety authorities and civil society Friends of the Earth (atomstopp, Austria) French Nuclear Safety Agency Inst. Sicherheits & Risikowissenschaften, Wien Univ. Network of European Technical Safety Organizations European Economic and Social Committee Roland Egger Philippe Jamet Wolfgang Liebert Frank Peter Weiss Ulla Sirkeinen

3 MELODI (Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative) Jacques Repussard Concerns about radiation protection against chronic exposures to low-dose ionizing radiation left unanswered Areas of greatest uncertainties Combine and pilot efforts on low dose ionizing radiation research Major national bodies with research programmes and long term commitment to low dose risk research in Europe Linear no-threshold model, LNT Is there a threshold? Hormesis? 26-Mar-13 3

4 Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform Paul Howarth Post-Fukushima R&D improve sustainability of nuclear energy (minimize radioactive waste, optimize the use of nuclear materials) European legal and financial instruments (joint programming and execution of R&D) EU scale: sharing risks and leveraging investments European position facing international partners Large scale R&D infrastructures shared across Europe Researchers education, training and EU mobility Bring together all parties involved. Governance issues?

5 Implementing Geological Disposal Technology Platform Marjatta Palmu Vision: by 2025, the first geological disposal facilities for spent fuel, high-level waste and other long-lived radioactive waste will be operating safely in Europe. 11 EU member states and 100+ participants working together and providing resources and sharing and learning Opportunities to participate in the planning of research, development and demonstration and in important information exchange and knowledge transfer Key topic: Technical feasibility and long-term performance of repository components Governance and stakeholder involvement 26-Mar-13 5

6 MTA Centre for Energy Research (former KFKI) János Gadó Closing the nuclear fuel cycle is the most important challenge for nuclear energy research in the 21st century. R&D in the field of: safety, technology and economy of Generation 4 reactors advanced reprocessing and minimization of long lived radioactive waste Establish a technical basis for political decisions on siting of the European nuclear reactor and fuel facility fleet. The nuclear energy research needs integration into a self consistent EU-Programme February 27,

7 OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Thierry Dujardin Specialised agency within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development promoting International Coopeartion Examples of OECD/NEA flexibility in adapting its programme of work Radio-isotopes for medical use Post Fukushima R & D (accident more tolerant fuels, benchmark of codes describing severe accidents, etc.) Euratom involvement in the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) is essential Taking into account systems effects in low-carbon electricity systems at the European level should help defining future R & D Assist member states through international cooperation in these areas

8 atomstopp, Austria Roland Egger Main emphasis: against the use of nuclear energy Therefore, the EURATOM research programme: should maintain its focus on safety, the fuel cycle and waste management. should create a basis for public debate concerning the advisability of new nuclear plants should try to solve the problems nuclear energy creates a challenge for the centuries to come! EURATOM should not protect industry Key topics: health risks and waste disposal 26-Mar-13 8

9 Safety Organizations and Agencies Presentations from: Autorité de Sûreté Nucléaire ASN Philippe Jamet European Technical Safety Organizations Network ETSON Frank Peter Weiss Institute of Safety/Security and Risk Sciences of the University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences, Vienna Wolfgang Liebert

10 Wolfgang Liebert Added some vinegar to the wine by > challenging the sustainability of nuclear energy in view of limited Uranium resources and the questionable use of Plutonium. > challenging the promise of transmutation to reduce nuclear waste > not including the Thorium cycle

11 Safety Organizations and Agencies Philippe Jamet and Frank Peter Weiss main activities: Overall review to maintain rigorously high and comparable safety standards in Europe Detailed analysis of Fukushima European and National stress-tests of existing nuclear power stations Non-Proliferation, Arms Control Research is key to enhanced safety and security

12 Safety Organizations and Agencies goals: harmonized safety standards and converging assessment practices sharing experiences and methods in safety assessment striving for coordinated European research activities in reactor safety and security, radioactive waste disposal, and radiation protection developing inter-european emergency procedures: emergency preparedness Conclusion during discussion: need for binding and reliable common EU standards

13 Views of the EESC on future research needs at EU level Keeping competences at the highest level, irrespective of MS decisions on nuclear energy Strengthening research investments to support policy on energy & nuclear safety (harmonization) and to ensure an equitable transition towards a low carbon economy Euratom focus on safety, risk mitigation, safeguards and security: reactor systems, waste, fissile materials... with increased involvement of civil society Better integration needed for innovative technologies, to face socio economic & competitiveness challenges, longterm radiation safety, medical treatment 13

14 Views of the EESC Stress tests: possible beyond-design-basis accidents Cross-border impact of incidents Training of specialists, enough basic knowledge at schools -o- The search for knowledge and the use of knowledge are the characteristic features of humans Abandonment of knowledge => head in the sand. 14