The World Needs Nuclear Power : Nuclear Power Needs Multinational Facilities

Today nuclear power provides 11% of the world’s electricity and 27% of electricity in the EU as reliable base-load power, without carbon dioxide emissions. The global aspiration for low-carbon energy sources combined with national needs for assured security of energy supply means that nuclear power continues to be a major part of the worldwide energy spectrum. Nuclear power expansion continues in many countries, there are newcomer nations establishing their first nuclear power plants and there are advanced plans in many others. Nuclear power plants under construction today will add 17% to global nuclear capacity – combined with those ordered and planned, capacity will increase by over 60%.

The new and expanding nuclear programmes fully realise the absolute necessity of developing a credible waste management strategy as a pre-requisite for public acceptance of nuclear power. For new nuclear programmes in particular, there are two options for tackling the most challenging waste management task, deep disposal of spent fuel or high-level radioactive wastes. These are implementing a national repository or else using a facility shared with other nations. Prudent new nuclear programmes will keep both options open in a so-called “dual track” approach.

There are strong technical, economic and strategic arguments for having access to shared or multinational, multi-user, storage and disposal facilities – especially for smaller nuclear power nations. The concept of multinational solutions across the nuclear power sector has been pivotal since the start of nuclear power and the establishment of international agencies such as the IAEA.

The role of Arius is to promote such solutions by exploring all aspects of feasibility, providing information and bringing potentially interested organisations together.

Our mission: to promote concepts for socially acceptable, international and regional solutions for environmentally safe, secure and economic storage and disposal of long-lived radioactive wastes.