Global Nuclear Energy Partnership Triples in Size

September 19, 2007 // Published as a news service by IHS

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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and senior international officials from 16 nations agreed to increase international nuclear energy cooperation through the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP).

China, France, Japan, Russia and the U.S., who are original GNEP partners, as well as Australia, Bulgaria, Ghana, Hungary, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Ukraine signed a "Statement of Principles," which addresses the prospects of expanding the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, including enhanced safeguards, international fuel service frameworks and advanced technologies, said the DOE.

The second GNEP Ministerial was held in Vienna, Austria ahead of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference and was attended by 38 nations and three international organizations.

In order to address all aspects of fuel services, officials agreed to form a Nuclear Fuel Services Working Group under GNEP, which will focus on practical measures and benefits for comprehensive fuel services, such as fuel leasing and other arrangements for spent fuel management.

According to the DOE, officials also discussed steps to provide guidance or technical assistance for assessing countries' infrastructure needs, while consulting with the IAEA.

Officials agreed to form a Nuclear Infrastructure Development Working Group under GNEP to address the challenges that nuclear power poses in the financial, technical and human resources of many countries.

The executive session led by U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman focused on the development of the partnership. Member countries discussed the structure of the GNEP partnership and plans for future membership expansion.

This month's ministerial follows a GNEP ministerial meeting earlier this year in Washington, DC where officials from the People's Republic of China, France, Japan, the Russian Federation and the U.S. agreed on a joint statement for a path toward increasing the use of safe, reliable and affordable nuclear power worldwide.

"Through GNEP, we are joining governments of the east and west, north and south in pursuit of a common goal: the safe, global expansion of nuclear power," said Secretary Bodman. "Today's ministerial sets our nations on a path to address issues of nuclear fuel services and infrastructure development and work to share the benefits of nuclear power worldwide."

Read additional information on the Statement of Principles and the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership on the DOE web site.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).