Invited Paper IPF-MoA8
Nuclear Energy Policy

Monday, October 15, 2007, 4:20 pm, Room 602/603

The U.S., through the National Energy Policy and the landmark legislation, Energy Policy Act of 2005, has adopted policies that support a diverse clean energy portfolio, including expanded use of nuclear energy. The nuclear industry is pursuing the business and licensing cases for building at current count, more than thirty new plants over the next decade. Government is sharing the risk that first movers of these new plants will face by cost-sharing the license preparation effort, by sponsoring production tax credits for the first 6,000 MW of new nuclear generating capacity, and through loan guarantees for the low emissions technologies. Additionally, last year, the Bush Administration proposed the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, a multinational initiative that focuses on developing the technologies and infrastructure that will be needed to support anticipated global expansion of nuclear energy. A key element, advanced recycling of spent nuclear fuel, would address the waste burden associated with the once-through fuel cycle that relies extensively on surface storage and eventually, deep geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel. Recycling would recover and reuse materials contained in spent fuel by separating them from the waste products without producing plutonium. This paper examines nuclear energy policy in the U.S., outlook for nuclear energy in the U.S. and the world, reasons to move toward a closed fuel cycle and U.S. and international progress on development of advanced fuel cycle technology.