Nuclear Energy Agency Online Bulletin

New NEA study explores the risks and benefits of nuclear energy
New nuclear energy data released
New publications
Radiological protection
Nuclear science
Data Bank

New NEA study explores the risks and benefits of nuclear energy

With the publication of Risks and Benefits of Nuclear Energy, the NEA provides a useful new aid for decision makers. The study brings together authoritative information and illustrative data on how the risks and benefits of nuclear energy might be assessed in the light of sustainable development goals. More information is available at www.nea.fr/html/general/press/2007/2007-03.html.

New nuclear energy data released

According to the latest official figures released by the NEA, total electricity generation in OECD countries rose to just over 9 867 TWh in 2006, about 0.5% above 2005. Nuclear power plants provided 23.1% of this electricity, as compared to 22.8% in 2005. Nuclear electricity generation in the OECD area provided 2 278 TWh in 2006, about 1.8% more than the previous year. More information is available at www.nea.fr/html/general/press/2007/2007-02.html.

New publications

Publications on sale can be ordered at the OECD bookshop: www.oecd.org/scripts/publications/bookshop/redirect.asp.

Vient de paraître en français :
Gestion des matières fissiles et fertiles recyclables
ISBN 978-92-64-03256-9. Prix : €30, US$39, £21, ¥4 100. 120 pages.

Linkage of Geoscientific Arguments and Evidence in Supporting the Safety Case
Second AMIGO Workshop Proceedings, Toronto, Canada, 20-22 September 2005
ISBN 978-92-64-01966-9. Price: €50, US$65, £36, ¥6 900. 275 pages.

Nuclear Energy Data 2007/Données sur l'énergie nucléaire 2007
ISBN 978-92-64-03453-2. Price: €30, US$39, £21, ¥ 4 100. 100 pages.

Risks and Benefits of Nuclear Energy
ISBN 978-92-64-03551-5. Price: €24, US$29, £17, ¥3 300. 88 pages.

Disponible également en français :
Risques et avantages de l'énergie nucléaire
978-92-64-03554-6. Prix : €24, US$29, £17, ¥3 300. 96 pages.

Free publications are available at www.nea.fr/html/pub/webpubs/. Paper copies may be requested by sending an e-mail to neapub@nea.fr.

Fostering a Durable Relationship Between a Waste Management Facility and its Host Community
Adding Value Through Design and Process
ISBN 978-92-64-99015-9. 60 pages (344 kb).

Disponible également en français :
Créer un lien durable entre une installation de gestion de déchets et sa collectivité d'accueil
Valeur ajoutée à travers la conception et les processus
ISBN 978-92-64-99016-6. 72 pages (327 ko).

Mixed-oxide (MOX) Fuel Performance Benchmark
Summary of the Results for the Halden Reactor Project MOX Rods
ISBN 978-92-64-99019-7. 64 pages, (9.9 mb).

Physics of Plutonium Recycling
Volume VIII: Results of a Benchmark Considering a High-temperature Reactor (HTR) Fuelled with Reactor-grade Plutonium
ISBN 978-92-64-99007-4. 100 pages, (684 kb).

Physics of Plutonium Recycling
Volume IX: Benchmark on Kinetic Parameters in the CROCUS Reactor
978-92-64-99020-3. 100 pages, (1.2 mb).

Stakeholder Involvement in Decommissioning Nuclear Facilities
International Lessons Learnt
ISBN 978-92-64-99011-1. 40 pages (188 kb).

Disponible également en français :
Implication des parties prenantes dans le déclassement des installations nucléaires
Enseignements internationaux
ISBN 978-92-64-99012-8. 44 pages (198 ko).

Radiological protection

The NEA Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health met at the NEA offices on 30 May-1 June 2007 in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. In the course of the meeting the committee approved several workshops: the workshop Science and Values in Radiological Protection will be held on 15–17 January 2008 in Helsinki, Finland; a special session on the regulatory aspects of radiological protection of the environment will be organised during the Radioecology and Environmental Radioactivity workshop to be held on 15–20 June 2008 in Bergen, Norway; a workshop on stakeholder involvement in recovery efforts during the late post-accident phase of a nuclear emergency will be held in late 2008; and a workshop on the results of the NEA’s work to put radiological protection into a public health context will take place during 2009. More information is available at www.nea.fr/html/rp/.

Legal affairs

The NEA is co-sponsoring the International Nuclear Law Association biannual congress, to be held on 1-5 October 2007 in Brussels, Belgium. The aims of the congress are to promote knowledge and understanding of the many legal problems and issues related to the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to strengthen co-operation between jurists around the world who are concerned with nuclear legislation. The major topics on the 2007 congress agenda are: nuclear safety - new regulatory directions; nuclear liability and insurance - the post revision agenda; radiological protection and radioactive sources; radioactive waste management and environmental issues; nuclear security; the 50th anniversary of the Euratom Treaty; current non-proliferation issues; international nuclear trade and "new build" - questions for the global legal regime. More information is available at www.aidn-inla.be/en/jura2007.html.

Nuclear science

The NEA Nuclear Science Committee (NSC) met on 13–15 June 2007 at the NEA offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. During the meeting the committee reviewed its programme of work and decided to establish a new working party devoted to multi-scale modelling of fuels and structural materials for nuclear systems. The NSC also prolonged the three-year mandates for the working parties exploring scientific issues of reactor systems (WPRS), scientific issues of the fuel cycle (WPFC) and nuclear criticality safety (WPNCS). More information is available at www.nea.fr/html/science/.

The NEA co-sponsored a workshop on Structural Materials for Innovative Nuclear Systems (SMINS) on 4-6 June 2007 in Karlsruhe, Germany. The workshop was held to stimulate the exchange of information on current materials research programmes for different innovative nuclear systems. The workshop programme included four technical sessions dealing with science issues associated with the materials used in gas-cooled reactors, liquid-metal cooled systems, fusion devices, high power accelerator targets and other fission reactor systems. A final session explored fundamental research issues (largely modelling and simulation and their experimental validation). More information is available at www.nea.fr/html/science/struct_mater/.

Data Bank

The Joint Evaluated Fission and Fusion (JEFF) Working Groups met in Aix-en-Provence, France on 4-6 June 2007 for their biannual meetings. Participants discussed the progress of new data evaluation work and gathered feedback from users of the present nuclear data library (JEFF-3.1). Plans for a new release, JEFF-3.2, were drawn up and, as with previous versions of the nuclear data library, it was decided to prepare a publication on the validation of JEFF-3.1. Participants also agreed to release an updated decay data library, JEFF-3.1.1/RDD. More information is available at www.nea.fr/html/dbdata/projects/nds_jef.htm.

Computer program services

A page listing all new programs in the last 12 months can be found at: www.nea.fr/html/dbprog/cpsnew.html. Detailed news concerning the computer program service is available at: www.nea.fr/html/dbprog/Newsletter/Whatsnew.htm.

Instructions on retrieving material from the NEA may be found at www.nea.fr. Please note that scientific database access is only available to residents of OECD/NEA Data Bank member countries.