The NEA marked the official launch of the Joint Project on Waste Integration for Small and Advanced Reactor Designs (WISARD) at an event on 12-14 May 2025 in Paris, France. Following a preparatory year of workshops and meetings to develop the project scope of work, 40 participants from signatory organisations and third parties gathered to begin technical discussions that will guide the project’s activities. The aim of the WISARD Joint Project is to examine the back-end implications of innovative nuclear systems, focusing on such key areas as:
- treatment and recycling;
- storage;
- transportation; and
- disposal.
A core objective of the project is to assess the compatibility of new used fuels and different waste streams with current back-end solutions and pinpoint areas requiring future innovation.
As increasing numbers of countries are looking to use nuclear energy as part of their policy response to meeting net zero goals and ensuring energy security, interest in small modular and advanced reactors has grown. This renewed focus on nuclear energy underscores the need to strategise for the back end of the fuel cycle to support a responsible, long-term nuclear energy strategy.
In his opening remarks, NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV, emphasised the importance of innovative waste management for new nuclear technologies. “As these technologies move forward, it is important that policymakers and the public have assurance as to what is going to happen with the nuclear waste these reactors generate and how they will be decommissioned,” he noted. “This is where co-ordinated international effort becomes very important. By bringing together governments, regulators and the private sector, the WISARD project will look at how we can deliver answers to these questions.”
The WISARD project brings together 12 signatory organisations across three continents representing national laboratories, research institutes, industry players and startups: Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL), Saltfoss Energy (Denmark), VTT Technical Research Centre (Finland), Naarea (France), Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP), Blykalla (Sweden), United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL), Nuclear Waste Services (United Kingdom), Deep Isolation (United States), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI, United States), and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI, United States). In addition, multiple third parties will contribute to implementing the project’s programme of work.
During the launch meeting, several governance decisions were taken and project leadership was elected. Participants also started in-depth technical discussions to begin their evaluations of storage, transport and disposal compatibility assessments.
