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Nuclear power in the service of European citizens

Mr. Georges Van Goethem, Scientific Project Officer / Innovation and Training, DG Research / Euratom (nuclear fission)

Mr Van Goethem, what are the specific activities of DG Research on nuclear fission? Is there any added value compared to other existing frameworks in the European Union?

The nature of activities within our unit that deals with nuclear fission and radiation protection represents itself a very high specificity compared to other areas. Our work revolves around the theme of energy which is one of current priorities for the European Commission in energy supply: the mix of primary energy (fossils, renewable and fissionable, ie nuclear energy). We conceive research and training programs in the area of nuclear fission, a field that has always been important for European Communities: it is commonly known that the Euratom Treaty of 1957 is a cornerstone of what will later become the European Union .The importance of research in this area is growing and there is thus a continuity of energy policies of the European Union.

In addition to organizing research programs, one of our goals is to explain to the public all the importance of issues related to nuclear power. We need the public\'s understanding of the impact of various nuclear technologies. These technologies result from research programs both at national and European level (ie Euratom) and deal with four main areas:



- Developing sustainable waste management for sustainable supply
- Competitiveness: the use of nuclear energy in the European energy mix
- Security technologies: the priority for the research community
- Non-proliferation: a nuclear fuel cycle without risk of terrorist action.



Community activities in the fields of nuclear power are today part of FP7. Is Euratom as cross-border as other FP7 components? Who can participate to the projects offered by Euratom?



Tthe European Commission adopted in March 2006 a Green Paper which proposed a \"European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy\". Today, the activities implemented under the program \"Nuclear Fission and Radiation Protection are fully consistent with this strategy, that is to say that our programs lead research that serves society and industry: this is not only ‘pure’ research for the sake of research itself. The research programs that we design are in fact cross- border: firstly, they cover the 27 Member States of the EU and, secondly, non EU - countries which are participating to our community programs. In addition to collaboration with the national states, we work with what we call the \"Five Big Players\" who have an important role in nuclear fission in Europe. These are:
- Research institutions (private and public)
- System manufacturers (designers and manufacturers)
- Suppliers of energy (electrical operators)
- The Nuclear Regulatory Authorities (State level)
- Universities and training institutions



These actors are directly involved in our research programs (usually by sharing the costs: 50% for the European Commission and 50% for participants). Today, we are also working to engage society in a more direct way, for example, through the different associations and NGOs working around sites of storage of nuclear waste.



One can hear about ‘commercial reactors’ today. Could you explain what kind of reactors are these? Is nuclear-related research and energy supply being privatized in Europe?



For many years, some Member States have been proposing to \"liberalize\" the European nuclear industry and today the Commission considers this sector of industry as \"mature\" enough to allow the EU Members States to handle these issues by them-selves. This approach is also in line with promotion of liberal market and increasing the competitiveness of energy sources. It is interesting to note in this context that nuclear is the only energy source to include the cost of the complete cycle from the mine to the deep disposal of waste.



Under the \"Nuclear Fission and Radiation Protection” program the Commission offers training opportunities. What is their aim and who can benefit from them? Under what conditions?



Along with research, the training component is one of fundamental parts of Euratom program, and it is extremely important for our activities. It is commonly known that the nuclear industry suffers from a shortage of experts (as indeed many other industries). In the nuclear field this lack of professionals will be even more palpable in coming years. In 2000 the Commission launched a study on the most lacking professional profiles. Some big companies such as Areva were consulted for this purpose. The results of this study have left no doubt: the EU is facing a general lack of experts in nuclear –related areas. The Commission has therefore decided to establish a public / private partnership (ie in this case university / industry) to address this problem. Mostly, we offer postgraduate training programs targeting confirmed engineers and lasting two to three years throughout Europe. Such training courses offer the cutting-edge knowledge as well as internships in companies or public sector concerned, going up to 3 months. It is thus a multisectoral European approach that will soon provide a \"European training passport\" to European researchers who have completed studies across Europe. We also support more \"traditional\" forms of education in nuclear fission and radiation protection, like Master Degrees or Erasmus exchanges, for example.



Energy supply is one of the biggest concerns of European citizens. What is the future of nuclear energy in the EU? Will we pass to 100% nuclear energy supply on day?



I’ll first answer the last part of your question: no, this is not the goal. The aim of the European Commission is to optimize the mix of primary energy sources according to a formula to develop between all Member States. Regarding nuclear innovation, we focus today on the generators of Generation IV which are fast neutron reactors with full recycling of radioactive waste. This technology will us enable, by 2040, to optimize the use of uranium through its recycling in these new generation reactors and ensure, at the same time, sustainable development. This is undoubtedly a great step forward for nuclear science which will have a decisive impact on tomorrow’s society and industry.