NEA News is the professional journal of the NEA. It features articles on the latest nuclear energy issues concerning the economic and technical aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear safety and regulation, radioactive waste management, radiation protection, nuclear science and nuclear legislation. Each issue provides facts and opinions on nuclear energy, an update of NEA activities, and a brief presentation of new NEA publications and other NEA news.
2009 Volume 27, No. 2 |
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 Download complete issue (pdf format, 2.6 Mb) |
Editorial - Luis E. Echávarri, NEA Director-General | |||
| Facts and opinions | ||||
| The financing of nuclear
power plants Existing nuclear generating capacity plays an important role in providing secure, economic and low-carbon electricity supplies in many OECD countries. At the same time, there is increasing recognition that an expansion of nuclear power could play a valuable role in reducing future carbon dioxide emissions. However, in recent years only a handful of new nuclear power plants (NPPs) have been built in just a few OECD countries. An important reason for this is the challenges associated with financing the construction of new NPPs. |
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| Work management
to optimise occupational
radiological protection Occupational exposures at nuclear power plants worldwide have steadily decreased since the early 1990s. Regulatory pressures, technological advances, improved plant designs and operational procedures, “as low as reasonably achievable” (ALARA) culture and information exchange have contributed to this downward trend. However, with the continued ageing and possible life extensions of nuclear power plants, ongoing economic pressures, regulatory, social and political evolutions, and the potential of new nuclear build, the task of ensuring that occupational exposures are kept as low as reasonably achievable continues to present challenges to radiological protection professionals. |
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| NEA updates | ||||
| Cost estimation for decommissioning: a review of current practice | ||||
| Partnering with stakeholders in radioactive waste management | ||||
| MDEP: consolidation and expansion | ||||
| A legislative framework for the safety of nuclear installations in the European Union | ||||
| News briefs | ||||
| NEA activities on medical isotope supply issues | ||||
| Nuclear power in NEA member countries | ||||
| New publications | ||||
| Catalogue of new NEA publications | ||||
2009 Volume 27 |
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Download complete issue (pdf format, 2 Mb) |
Editorial - Luis E. Echávarri, NEA Director-General | |||
| Facts and opinions | ||||
| Nuclear power and
the public Issues such as climate change, energy security and the longer-term availability of fossil fuels are causing many governments to reconsider their national energy policies. Promotion of renewable energy sources is often a first policy response but, increasingly, it is being recognised that renewable sources may only provide a partial solution, especially in countries where heavy industry or large cities make intense demands on electricity supply. |
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| Science and values in
radiological protection The NEA Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) has been investigating the involvement of stakeholders in decision-aiding and decision-making processes for over a decade. A key conclusion that has resulted from this work is that while the vast majority of radiological protection decisions are informed by science, most decisions concerning public health and safety, or environmental protection, are taken based on broader value-judgement grounds. |
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| NEA updates | ||||
| Applying decommissioning experience to the design and operation of new nuclear power plants | ||||
| Ageing management | ||||
| The Forum on Stakeholder Confidence | ||||
| News briefs | ||||
| The RWMC Regulators’ Forum | ||||
| Calculating the cost of generating electricity: Which role for nuclear? | ||||
| NEA joint projects | ||||
| Obituaries: Mr. Howard K. Shapar, Dr. Kunihiko Uematsu | ||||
| New publications | ||||
| Catalogue of new NEA publications | ||||
2008 Volume 26 |
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Download complete issue (pdf format, 1.2 Mb) |
Editorial - Luis E. Echávarri, NEA Director-General | |||
| Facts and opinions | ||||
| Nuclear Energy Outlook 2008 - Executive summary To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency launched its first Nuclear Energy Outlook (NEO). It responds to the changing dynamics and renewed interest in nuclear energy and arrives at a moment when energy security, climate change and the cost of energy have become priorities in both short-term and long-term energy policies. |
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| Market competition in the nuclear industry The nuclear industry provides a wide variety of specialised equipment and services to support the construction and operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs). This includes the supply of NPPs themselves, the range of materials and services required in the nuclear fuel cycle, and the services and equipment needed for maintenance and upgrading. The markets to provide these have changed substantially as they have evolved from the government-led early stages of the nuclear industry to predominantly competitive, commercial markets today. |
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| Challenges in the field of materials science The development of innovative thermonuclear fusion and nuclear fission reactors critically depends on the availability of not only nuclear fuels but also advanced structural and functional materials systems. These have to withstand extreme conditions: high temperatures, intense neutron irradiation, and strongly corrosive environments, in combination with complex loading states and cyclic loading histories. The challenges in the field of nuclear materials range from operation in critical conditions to compliance with the highest levels of safety and protection, while giving due regard to decommissioning, dismantling and waste processing issues. |
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| NEA updates | ||||
| Geological disposal of radioactive waste: records, markers and people | ||||
| International operating experience | ||||
| Nuclear regulatory communication with the public: 10 years of progress | ||||
| News briefs | ||||
| Legislative update: Turkey | ||||
| Phase IV of the TDB project | ||||
| Uranium: Resources, Production and Demand | ||||
| New publications | ||||
| Catalogue of new NEA publications | ||||
2007 Volume 25, No. 2 |
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 Download complete issue (pdf format, 1.3 Mb) |
Editorial - Luis E. Echávarri, NEA Director-General | |||
| Facts and opinions | ||||
| Nuclear energy risks and benefits
in perspective Energy demand, rising prices, security of supply, climate change... these are major issues facing today’s energy policy makers. In response, the NEA has recently published a study on Risks and Benefits of Nuclear Energy in order to provide these policy makers with authoritative information in support of their decision making. The study has also provided much of the basis for this article. |
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| Management of recyclable fissile
and fertile materials The possibility of recycling fuel is a very attractive – and nearly unique – feature of nuclear energy systems. The fissile and fertile materials contained in spent nuclear fuels and enrichment plant tails, for example, may be retrieved and re-used to provide additional energy. Doing so also reduces the amount and radiotoxicity of waste that will ultimately need to be sent to repositories. |
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| NEA updates | ||||
| Geological disposal: key observations and lessons learnt | ||||
| The impact of financing schemes and income taxes on electricity generation costs | ||||
| Radiological protection at the NEA: 50 years and thriving | ||||
| The International School of Nuclear Law | ||||
| International Standard Problem ISP-47 on Containment Thermal-hydraulics | ||||
| News briefs | ||||
| Progress in the Multinational Design Evaluation Programme (MDEP) | ||||
| Update on the Generation IV International Forum | ||||
| NEA joint projects | ||||
| New publications | ||||
| Catalogue of new NEA publications | ||||
2007 Volume 25, No. 1 |
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Download complete issue (pdf format, 1.7 Mb) |
Editorial - Luis E. Echávarri, NEA Director-General | |||
| Facts and opinions | ||||
| Innovation in nuclear technology Innovation has been a driving force for the success of nuclear energy and remains essential for its future. For the continued safe and economically effective operation and maintenance of existing nuclear systems, and to meet the goals set out by projects aiming at designing and implementing advanced systems for the future, effi cient innovation systems are needed. Consequently, analysing innovation systems is essential to understand their characteristics and enhance their performance in the nuclear sector. |
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| Radiological protection and the environment The radiological protection world is roughly divided into two camps when it comes to the issue of environmental protection: those who believe that nothing more need be done in terms of radiological protection of the environment and those who do. Yet both camps can more or less agree that the environment is well-protected, so why all the debate? |
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| NEA updates | ||||
| Fostering a durable relationship between a waste management facility and its host community | ||||
| Regional development and community support in radioactive waste management | ||||
| SCAP: the NEA project on stress corrosion cracking and cable ageing | ||||
| Safety cases for the deep disposal of radioactive waste: where do we stand? | ||||
| Seismic probabilistic safety assessment (PSA): An update | ||||
| News briefs | ||||
| International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation (IRPhE) Project | ||||
| Legislative update: United States | ||||
| New publications | ||||
| Catalogue of new NEA publications | ||||
| Previous editions | ||||
2006 Volume 24, No. 2 |
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Editorial - Luis E. Echávarri, NEA Director-General | |||
| Facts and opinions | ||||
Advanced fuel cycles and radioactive waste management |
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| Impacts of nuclear power plant life management and long-term operation Nuclear energy is an important component of electricity supply in many OECD countries and is increasingly gaining the attention of policy makers and the public in light of its real potential role in long-term energy strategies aiming at sustainability and minimising the risk of global climate change. For many operating nuclear power plants, it has been demonstrated to the satisfaction of regulators that the plants can be operated safely and efficiently for a significantly longer period than was envisaged when they were designed, with lifetimes of 50 to 60 years being likely in many cases. |
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| NEA updates | ||||
| International peer review of a nuclear regulatory self-assessment | ||||
| Releasing the sites of nuclear installations | ||||
| Very high fuel burn-ups in light water reactors | ||||
| Differences in regulatory criteria for the long-term safety of radioactive waste disposal | ||||
| News briefs | ||||
| Legislative update: France | ||||
| Multinational Design Evaluation Programme(MDEP) Stage 2 | ||||
| NEA joint projects | ||||
| New publications | ||||
| Catalogue of new publications | ||||
2006 Volume 24, No. 1 |
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Editorial - Luis E. Echávarri, NEA Director-General | |||
| Facts and opinions | ||||
Forty years of uranium resources, production and demand in perspective |
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| International peer reviews and radioactive waste management in France The organisation of independent, international peer reviews of national studies and projects is an important NEA activity in the field of radioactive waste management. Several of these have been carried out over recent years, for example for the governments of Belgium, Switzerland and the United States. Member governments have found these reviews of significant value and are now asking for them to cover topics of a broader scope. |
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| NEA updates | ||||
| Forum on Stakeholder Confidence: Spain | ||||
| OECD/NEA joint projects in the nuclear safety area | ||||
| The regulatory function in radioactive waste management | ||||
| Challenges and potential benefits of partitioning and transmutation (P&T) | ||||
| The Information System on Occupational Exposure (ISOE) | ||||
| News briefs | ||||
| Shielding of accelerators, targets and irradiation facilities (SATIF) | ||||
| New publications | ||||
| Catalogue of new NEA publications | ||||
2005 Volume 23, No. 2 |
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Editorial - Luis E. Echávarri, NEA Director-General | |||
| Facts and opinions | ||||
Nuclear energy and the security of supply |
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| Evolving roles and responsibilities in radiological protection One of the only truly consistent things in life is the knowledge that things will continue to change. In the area of radiological protection, change is not always fast, and it is not always deep, but it has clearly been present over the past 10 to 20 years. These changes will all have more or less profound effects on the roles and responsibilities of the radiological protection profession. This article presents an initial analysis of these changes, with a view to helping those concerned be better prepared to meet the challenges that may arise. |
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| The NEA and the IAEA: partnering for progress We are often asked, "What is the difference between the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)?" Or, to put it bluntly, why are two international intergovernmental agencies needed in the nuclear field? |
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| NEA updates | ||||
| Funding the decommissioning of nuclear power plants | ||||
| Lessons from 40 years of nuclear safety and regulation | ||||
| Over a decade of nuclear emergency management at the NEA | ||||
| Focus on safety: the FIRE Project | ||||
| News briefs | ||||
| NEA joint projects | ||||
| Legislative updates | ||||
| New publications | ||||
| Catalogue of new NEA publications | ||||
2005 Volume 23, No. 1 |
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Editorial - Luis E. Echávarri, NEA Director-General | |||
| Facts and opinions | ||||
Nuclear regulatory decision making |
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| An analysis of uranium exploration and price The primary production of uranium has been less than reactor requirements since the mid-1980s and secondary sources have had to make up the difference. By 2002, world uranium production provided only about 54% of world reactor requirements. This dependence on secondary supplies is projected to continue into the near future. Over the longer term, however, primary production will need to expand. |
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| NEA updates | ||||
| Lessons drawn from recent NPP operating experience | ||||
| Management of uncertainty in safety cases and the role of risk | ||||
| Safety of the nuclear fuel cycle | ||||
| News briefs | ||||
| The Generation IV International Forum enters a new phase | ||||
| Conference report: Nuclear power for the 21st century | ||||
| Projected costs of generating electricity | ||||
| Third phase of the TDB Project | ||||
| New publications | ||||
| Catalogue of new NEA publications | ||||
