FTG Participates in DOE Research Advisory Committee Workshops

Framatome Technologies was invited to participate in the Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee (NERAC) workshops sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE). The objective of these workshops is to collect input from various sectors of the nuclear community, including the DOE, national laboratories, commercial vendors, and academia.

Each workshop is broken down into several small working groups that focus on specific topics such as space-power systems, commercial high-level waste, and the disposition of weapons material. The DOE’s Office of Nuclear Energy will use the ideas generated in the workshops as input to its long-range plans (extending to the 2010-2015 timeframe) that support the National Energy Strategy to keep nuclear energy a viable option in the U.S., develop long-term energy options, and support a strong energy-science infrastructure.

The first workshop, held in October, stimulated many suggestions. For example, redefining low-level radioactive waste to eliminate present inconsistencies was discussed, as was “partitioning” spent nuclear fuel to remove certain problem constituents before disposal rather than disposing of the entire fuel assembly as an intact unit.