Multilateral Nuclear Fuel Supply Guarantees and Spent Fuel Management: What Are the Priorities?

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In The Media

Multilateral Nuclear Fuel Supply Guarantees and Spent Fuel Management: What Are the Priorities?

Improving the reliability of nuclear fuel supplies is best achieved by giving priority to fuel leasing contracts coupled with long-term generic export licenses, and last resort multilateral fuel supply arrangements.

By Pierre Goldschmidt

Published on Jan 1, 2010

Source: Daedalus

Multilateral Nuclear Fuel Supply Guarantees and SpIn a special issue of Daedalus on the "Global Nuclear Future," published by the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Pierre Goldschmidt posits that further improving the reliability of fuel supply is best achieved by giving priority to fuel leasing contracts coupled with long-term generic export licenses, and last resort multilateral fuel supply arrangements. Regarding the back-end of the fuel cycle, Goldschmidt argues that developing multinational fuel-storage and geological disposal facilities will be relegated to the distant horizon due to the prevailing "Not-In-My-Backyard" syndrome. He concludes that, as long as impediments to multinational spent fuel management remain high, it is most urgent to strengthen the IAEA’s verification authority and improve the likelihood of prompt and firm UN Security Council action when a state is found to be in non-compliance with its IAEA safeguards or NPT obligations.

About the Author

Pierre Goldschmidt

Former Nonresident Senior Associate, Nuclear Policy Program

Goldschmidt was a nonresident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment.

Recent Work

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A Realistic Approach Toward a Middle East Free of WMD
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Serious Deficiencies Exposed by Latest IAEA Safeguards Implementation Report
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Nuclear Policy Nuclear Energy

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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