THE URANIUM INSTITUTE TRANSPORT WORKING GROUP: A COMMON APPROACH TO GLOBAL ISSUES

With more than 442 nuclear power plants in operation all over the world delivering clean and safe electricity on a daily basis, nuclear energy is and will undoubtedly be one of the most promising way to cope with present and future economic, demographic, and environmental challenges. Nuclear materials transportation business links the various nuclear actors: research institutes, utilities, fuel cycle industries, and waste management agencies. As pipelines or tankers for the petroleum industry, transportation gives nuclear energy its consistency. Still, conversely to other industrial areas, transportation volumes and figures are rather low in the nuclear business. For instance, transport of dangerous goods in France represents around 15 million packages per year. Out of this, only 15, 000 or 0,1 % are nuclear fuel cycle materials. When applied to the USA, this figure is even more striking: 100 million of dangerous goods containers are shipped each year. Only 10, 000 pertains to nuclear fuel cycle materials. Even so, in our world of economic and cultural globalization, transport of nuclear materials is no longer a domestic issue. It crosses boundaries and appeals to various areas ranging from safety to communication. That is why the Uranium Institute decided, in 1995, to set up a working group dedicated to transport issues. This paper covers the Uranium Institute Transport Working Group, from its creation to its most recent achievements.