Expertise in fuel‑cycle physics and chemistry remains essential for deploying advanced reactor systems, especially as many countries intensify their energy‑transition efforts. In this context, the 23rd meeting of the NEA Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC) was held on 21-23 May 2025 in Aix-en-Provence, France, hosted by CEA (the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission). Representatives from NEA member countries, the IAEA, the European Commission, and Generation IV International Forum convened to evaluate the current scientific landscape. This meeting offered a platform to exchange insights on cutting‑edge research, assess expert‑group activities and define the upcoming technical agenda.
The meeting focused on three main topics: research updates in advanced fuel cycles, expert‑group progress and a review of recent and planned WPFC workshops and task force initiatives.
Updates on research topics in advanced fuel cycles
- Recent publication of the Unlocking the Hidden Value of Nuclear Fuel: The Societal Benefits of Diverse Material Recycling report
- Presentations and discussions on the front-end, back-end, reprocessing and economics of the fuel cycle
Progress from WPFC Expert Groups
- Expert Group on Advanced Fuel Cycle Scenarios (EGAFCS)
- Expert Group on Fuel Recycling and Waste Technology (EGFRW)
- Expert Group on Innovative Fuel Elements (EGIFE)
- Expert Group on Reactor Coolants/Components Technology (EGCoCoT)
Recent and upcoming workshops and task forces
- Completed: Recently published Summary Report of the 16th Information Exchange Meeting on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning and Transmutation (16IEMPT).
- Upcoming: The Joint IAEA-NEA-EC/JRC Workshop on the Taxonomy and Related Terminology of Fuel Cycles for Molten Salt Reactors on 3-7 November 2025 and IEMPT‑17 in 2026.
Established in 2004 and restructured in 2020 with emphasis on advanced fuel‑cycle R&D, WPFC continues to deliver through its four expert groups and task forces. These groups actively address generation IV systems, recycling technologies, novel fuel elements, and coolant/component challenges. Through benchmarking, collaborative modelling and strategic workshops, the WPFC is steering the international nuclear science community toward sustainable and industrially scalable fuel‑cycle solutions.
