Expanding Non-Power Peaceful Use Applications of Nuclear Science and Technology to Create an Enabling Environment for Nuclear Power

VCDNP Senior Research Associates Anthony Stott and Ingrid Kirsten co-authored a paper on the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology in developing countries.

The central theme of the paper is that improving the infrastructure in a country to expand non-power peaceful use applications contributes to the development of the national infrastructure needed for nuclear power and will thus make it easier for a country to embark on a nuclear power programme.

The paper was presented at the 2nd IAEA International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power: Atoms4NetZero, held from 9 to 13 October 2023 in Vienna.

About 50 countries have expressed interest in introducing nuclear power (IAEA Nuclear Technology Review 2023). Several of these are Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), with relatively low demand for electricity and small electricity grids. For these countries, with their modest electricity growth projections, and considering the financial and human resources required for a large nuclear power plant, small modular reactor (SMR) technology could provide a viable alternative for their future energy mix. The national infrastructure that is required for nuclear power includes, among others, an appropriate legal and regulatory framework, the development of competent human resources, financial resources, and physical infrastructure.

Similar infrastructure, though of a different scope, is required in a country implementing peaceful uses applications of nuclear science and technology in food and agriculture, medicine, and industrial sectors. These applications require an appropriate legal and regulatory framework and a regulatory body for safety and security (and safeguards if applicable) that has sufficient financial resources and competent staff. Countries that have developed and implemented effective infrastructure for non-power applications are better prepared and find it easier to enhance such infrastructure to the level required for nuclear power.