Fuel Cycle of the Future


Building a safer, more secure, and more proliferation-resistant nuclear fuel cycle

Challenge

Nuclear energy provides societal benefits but also security and nonproliferation challenges.

Action

Create international partnerships that incentivize decisions not to develop domestic enrichment and reprocessing facilities.

Results

Comprehensive and pragmatic international nuclear fuel cycle approaches that reinforce key nonproliferation and nuclear security principles.

Because of their inherent dual-use nature, beneficial nuclear power programs and other peaceful uses of nuclear energy create significant security and nonproliferation challenges for the international community, if not addressed. The buildup of fissile material inventories, the spread of uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing capabilities, and limited permanent solutions for accumulating spent fuel all contribute to uncertainty and proliferation risks. Although practical solutions exist for all of these issues, at present there is little political appetite to address these challenges.

By focusing on regional partnerships—initially in the Middle East and East Asia but broadly applicable in other regions (e.g. South America, Africa, Asia Pacific)—NTI is committed to identifying, incentivizing, and implementing an international nuclear fuel cycle approach that supports a reliable and economically sustainable commercial fuel market, while reinforcing key nonproliferation and nuclear security principles.

Activity

2023



NTI, EFI Foundation, Clean Air Task Force, and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation Discuss Responsible Nuclear Energy Expansion

News

NTI, EFI Foundation, Clean Air Task Force, and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation Discuss Responsible Nuclear Energy Expansion

Co-Chair and CEO of NTI and CEO and President of the EFI Foundation Ernest J. Moniz, Executive Director of CATF Armond Cohen, and experts from NTI, EFI Foundation, and CATF briefed Managing Director and CEO of ENEC His Excellency Mohamed Al Hammadi and ENEC staff on their work promoting the responsible, sustainable, and effective expansion of nuclear energy.

2022



Nuclear Threat Initiative and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation Partner on Second Nuclear Fuel Cycle Workshop

News

Nuclear Threat Initiative and Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation Partner on Second Nuclear Fuel Cycle Workshop

The Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) convened 30 experts from the United Arab Emirates and the United States on September 13, 2022 for a workshop on “The Nuclear Fuel Cycle in the Middle East: Prospects and Opportunities.”

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