U.S.-FRENCH GLOBAL NUCLEAR ENERGY PARTNERSHIP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 000892

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR T, ISN, IO, EUR, AND EAP
ENERGY FOR NE, RW, AND NNSA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KNNP ENRG TRGY FR
SUBJECT: U.S.-FRENCH GLOBAL NUCLEAR ENERGY PARTNERSHIP
DISCUSSIONS

Sensitive but Unclassified. Protect Accordingly.


1. (U) Summary: U.S. and French delegations met to discuss
the U.S. proposal for a Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
(GNEP). Both sides made presentations on their R&D agendas
on closing the fuel cycle. The French side expressed
strong support for the direction of the U.S. GNEP proposal,
and a number of areas for future technical cooperation were
identified. End Summary.


2. (U) On February 9-10, 2006 in Paris, a U.S. Delegation
lead by Victor Reis, Senior Advisor to Secretary of Energy,
met with a delegation from the CEA lead by Jacques
Bouchard, Special Advisor to the Chairman and CEO of the
CEA, to discuss the U.S. proposal to form a Global Nuclear
Energy Partnership. Other members of the U.S. delegation
include; John Herczeg (DOE),Alex Burkart (DoS),James J.
Laidler (Argonne National Laboratory),Phillip J. Finck
(Argonne National Laboratory, David Hill, (Idaho National
Laboratory),Rick Stevens (Argonne National Laboratory)
Alan Brownstein (DOE). The French delegation included
Philippe Pradel, Jean-Louis Carbonnier, Frank Carr,
Philippe Brossard, Bernard Boullis, Philippe Martin, Didier
Kechemair, Patrick Ledermann and Bernard Boullis, all of
CEA.


3. (SBU) On February 9th, following opening remarks by
both sides, the CEA presented an overview of the specific
areas of its nuclear energy R&D program, including the
French R&D Strategy for Future Nuclear Energy Systems,
which was approved by the French government in March 2005.
Discussion focused on the development of fast reactors with
a closed fuel cycle along two tracks: the Sodium Fast
Reactor (SFR) and the Gas Fast Reactor (GFR),including new
processes for spent fuel reprocessing and recycle, with
industrial deployment around 2040. The CEA indicated that
the SFR was the primary path forward, with the GFR the
backup technology. The first planned gas-cooled test
reactor (designed ETDR) will have a power of 50 megawatts
thermal, with a decision on feasibility by 2012 and
operation by 2017. If performance of the ETDR is
successful, a larger GFR prototype will be constructed by

2025. Based on past experience with sodium-cooled
reactors, the CEA plans to move forward toward a prototype
SFR by 2020, as stated in the R&D Strategy. Objectives of
the SFR development are reduced investment cost, a move
towards passive safety and the integral recycle of
actinides from light water reactors. The fuels research
for the SFR is focused on "oxide" fuel for actinide
recycle, and research on GFR fuels is focused on
ceramics/oxides. Discussions also included strategies for
spent fuel management, which include a next generation of
reprocessing facilities around 2020 producing a mixed-oxide
(Pu/U) product for recycle in light water reactors, leading
to new technologies for recycle in fast reactors in 2040.
Actinide recycling R&D using advanced separations
technologies has been underway at CEA's ATALANTE facility
since 2003. Research has focused on extraction of
actinides from fission products, and a group separation
process referred to as GANEX process. The CEA also
provided an overview of its fuel transmutation program,
which consisted of a three phased program starting with
irradiations of a few minor actinides lead to a full
demonstration of the full group of minor actinides in
Japan's MONJU reactor in 2020. The U.S. delegation
provided an overview of the GNEP, including details on the
planned Engineering Scale Demonstration of UREX+, the
Advanced Fuel Cycle Facility (a research laboratory),the
Advanced Burner Test Reactor and Advanced Computer
Simulation modeling for the complete fuel cycle.


4. (SBU) On February 10, 2006, the DOE/CEA meeting
discussed small reactors and the path forward to joint
collaboration. The CEA made a proposal on organization of
the GNEP program, which built on principles of the
Generation IV International Forum, but with the development
of sensitive technologies limited to a smaller group of
fuel cycle nations. The CEA took the action to develop a
non-paper on its views on how R&D relationships and
agreement might be structured. The U.S. head of delegation
agreed to consider the formation of a senior strategy group
with appropriate member nations whose purpose would be to
harmonize individual nuclear energy strategies with respect
to GNEP, including the use of facilities. One important
issue will be how to deal with controls on the transfer of
sensitive technologies. The U.S. side agreed to prepare a
non-paper on how to involve other countries outside the
fuel cycle nations in the development of small reactors.
Both side agreed to identify existing bi-lateral projects.
U.S. points of contact were established for planning
collaborative R&D, in the areas of separations, fuels,
advanced burner reactor design, and computer modeling in
several areas including basic science.


5. (U) Subsequent to the meeting, Reis met with Bernard
Bigot, the High Commissioner Atomic Energy. Commissioner
Bigot emphasized the importance that the French place on
this initiative.


6. (U) Delegation prepared this cable prior to departure.
Copies of the French presentations are available from
delegation members.

STAPLETON