REACTOR DESIGN | INPRO
INPRO: Supporting reactor innovation
Innovative Nuclear Reactors & Fuel Cycles (INPRO), an IAEA programme, was established in 2000 to ensure that nuclear energy contributes to global energy needs until the end of the 21st century and beyond. Here we explore INPRO’s achievements
By Judith Perera
THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY established the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors & Fuel Cycles, (INPRO) in 2000 to help ensure that nuclear energy remains available to contribute to meeting global energy needs until the end of the 21st century and beyond. Carolynn Scherer, Section Head (INPRO) at IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Power in the Department of Nuclear Energy tells NEI about INPRO’s achievements.
NEI: Can you please describe what INPRO does and its aims? CS: INPRO is a membership-based project. Representatives of INPRO members form the INPRO Steering Committee (SC) that directly guides the project’s activities. INPRO’s membership currently consists of 44 Members – 43 IAEA member states and the European Commission (EC). The INPRO programme supports member states in
their long-term planning for deploying sustainable nuclear energy. It provides direct support related to advanced and innovative nuclear energy system scenario modelling, analysis, and sustainability assessment using the INPRO methodology and through facilitating dialogue, cooperation and collaboration among member states in their respective roles as nuclear energy technology developers, suppliers and customers. The INPRO activities consider international and national actions, which could result in innovations in nuclear reactors, fuel cycles and institutional approaches, to achieve viable and sustainable nuclear energy systems. INPRO activities include modelling of nuclear energy
scenarios and fuel cycles at national, regional and global levels. INPRO supports member states in their strategic energy planning and decision making to achieve sustainable nuclear energy.
NEI: How does INPRO ensure sustainability of nuclear energy systems? CS: The INPRO programme developed a methodology to assess the sustainability of a nuclear energy system that aligns with the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. The methodology development was over 20 years and had contributions from over 300 international experts. The methodology looks at sustainability in six key areas which are: economics, environment, safety, waste management, proliferation resistance, and infrastructure. The INPRO methodology is comprehensively covering the lifecycle of the nuclear energy system over a century. The INPRO methodology supports member states with the methods, analysis and modelling tools. These tools support members in developing and investigating global and regional nuclear energy scenarios and how collaborations among different States and organisations can facilitate the transition to globally sustainable nuclear energy systems and develop roadmaps to a more sustainable future. The INPRO activities also support collaborative projects including the examination of innovative nuclear reactor concepts in all methodology areas to show improvements over past concepts. The methodology helps identify gaps that need to be addressed to deploy a sustainable nuclear
Right: INPRO supports member states in developing assessment and analysis competencies to support decisions on the future use of nuclear energy
34 | February 2024 |
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