Atoms for the Future. Conference proceedings

Under the management of Silvain Ikazaki who organised Atoms for the Future 2011, the conferences have taken place in Paris, at ENSTA Paris Tech engineering school. It was Isabelle Tanchou, ENSTA, Deen of Education and Research who opened the two days of conferences of Atoms for the Future 2011 on the fuel cycle in front of more than a hundred young professionals coming from all Europe, Sri Lanka, Japan.. Then Laurent Stricker, chairman of WANO detailed the consequences of the Fukushima accident on nuclear industry and safety and which role the WANO was playing in this current situation. Jean-Pierre Gros, Areva executive vice-president of recycling business unit and CEO of MELOX facility, explained the reprocessing and recycling of used fuels through La Hague and MELOX operation. He specified that 96% of a used fuel is recyclable although most of used fuel is today stored in pools. This presentation was completed by the operator point of view of the nuclear fuel cycle given by Michel Pays, EDF director of strategy and risks at the nuclear fuel department. Georges Capus, Areva vice president marketing Frond End, explained the strategic, economic and political considerations of this activity. The afternoon conferences continued with the intervention of Bernard Boullis, CEA director nuclear fuel cycle back-end programs. He gave us an overview of the future nuclear fuel cycles detailing fast reactors examples such as ASTRID, ALLEGRO.. Radioactive materials need a safe, secure and efficient transport: it was the theme Michel Hartenstein, World Nuclear Transport Institute director. He illustrated his presentation with a very impressive video of the different qualification tests a canister has to undergo. The first day of lectures was closed by Gerald Ouzounian, ANDRA director of International Division. He exposed the radioactive waste management in France, describing the classification of those wastes depending on the radioactivity level, the existing sites, the current quantities that are stored, and gave a view of the future management of those wastes. The very beginning of the fuel cycle was introduced by Sebastien de Montessus, Areva senior executive vice president of the mining business group and member of Areva's executive board. He detailed the three main risks of the mining activity: technical, political and tax. The panel discussion on public acceptance on final waste disposal opened the debate with the audience. Lead by Sophie Prevot and Silvain Ikazaki, it has gathered Saida Laarouchi (ENGSTROM SKB, Director of Environmental Impact Assessment and Public Information), Sebastien Farin (ANDRA, Deputy Communication Director), Geert Volckaert (Manager of the institute for Environment, Health and Safety of SCK-CEN) and Nathalie Guillaume (CEA). It revealed the difficulties of communication on this subject and the need to take into account cultural differences. Concrete examples of success in Sweden, and field experience stories of Belgium were particularly instructive information that cannot be found in books. Denis Janin (SFEN-JG member, National correspondent of IYNC) made a presentation of the International Youth Nuclear Congress 2012 that will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA from 5 - 11 August 2012. Atoms for the Future 2011 was closed by another panel discussion about the stakes of securing fuel supply. Under the management of Guillaume Vaast, this panel has gathered Ian Emsley (WNA, Senior Project Manager), Robert Leclere (CEO of Synatom), Tariq Rauf (Coordinator, IAEA Low Enriched Uranium Bank, Head Verification and Security Policy Coordination) and Michel Pays (EDF). This document brings together the available presentations (slides) given at the conference: 1 - 'WANO after Fukushima' (Laurent Stricker, WANO); 2 - Reprocessing / Recycling of Used Fuels. 40 years of experience illustrated by La Hague operation (Jean-Pierre Gros, Areva); 3 - Nuclear Fuel Cycle from operator point of view (Michel Pays, EDF); 4 - Fuel Cycle Front End: strategic, economic and political considerations (Georges Capus, Areva); 5 - Future nuclear fuel cycles: guidelines.. (Bernard Boullis, CEA); 6 - Safe, secure and efficient Transport of Radioactive Materials (Michel Hartenstein, WNTI); 7 - Radioactive Waste Management the French case (Gerald Ouzounian, ANDRA); 8 - Mining: resources, needs, process (Sebastien de Montessus, Areva); 9 - Nuclear waste management in Sweden (Saida Laarouchi Engstroem, SKB); 10 - The nuclear waste disposal programs in Belgium and public participation (Geert Volckaert, SKC-CEN); 11 - Public opinion and waste issue (Nathalie Guillaume, CEA); 12 - International Youth Nuclear Congress - IYNC (Denis Janin, French IYNC NP); 13 - Synatom 'Securing Fuel supply' (Robert Leclere, Synatom)