U.S. Department of Energy Bilateral Action Plans

U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy has bilateral Actions Plans for civil nuclear energy cooperation with Japan, Russia, China and Australia. These non-legally binding bilateral Action Plans aim to expand existing cooperation, or establish new cooperative efforts by facilitating joint research and development activities in advanced civilian nuclear energy technologies. The Action Plans are intended to complement and reinforce multilateral collaboration conducted to support the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) goals. The Actions Plans identify areas of potential fuel cycle R&D cooperation such as separations and waste forms, advanced transmutation fuels, fast reactors, grid appropriate exportable reactors, safeguards, modeling and simulation, and reliable fuel services. These bilateral Action Plans highlight the need to improve the proliferation resistance of nuclear energy technologies as the use of civilian nuclear power expands.

Japan

Bilateral Action Plan
“United States-Japan Joint Nuclear Energy Action Plan,” signed April 2007.

Basic Provisions
This bilateral Action Plan aims to facilitate joint research and development of advanced civilian nuclear energy technologies between the U.S. and Japan. It is intended to complement and reinforce multilateral collaborations being conducted under the GNEP Steering Group. Execution of the Action Plan is being guided by a Nuclear Energy Steering Committee consisting of one co-chair from the United States and one from Japan.

The Action Plan has six areas of cooperation:

• Fast-Reactor Technology;
• Fuel Cycle Technology;
• Simulation and Modeling;
• Safeguards and Physical Protection;
• Small and Medium Reactors; and
• Waste Management.

In addition to these technical areas of cooperation, one additional non-technical working group on Construction of New Nuclear Power Plants has been established. Also, two “Informal Consulting Groups”: 1) Nuclear Fuel Supply Assurance, and 2) Expansion of Nuclear Energy were also established.

Status of Actions
The United States- Japan Steering Committee and Working Groups met in Washington, D.C. in June 2007. The meeting was followed by the Joint R&D Plans report to the Steering Committee in January 2008. Also, a Plenary Working Group Meeting occurred in Tokyo, March 2008, along with the Second Steering Committee meeting in Tokyo, May 2008.

Russia

Bilateral Action Plan
“The US-Russia Civil Nuclear Energy Action Plan,” signed December 2006.

Basic Provisions
This bilateral Action Plan aims to facilitate joint research and development of advanced civilian nuclear energy technologies between the U.S. and Russia. It is intended to complement and reinforce multilateral collaborations being conducted under the GNEP Steering Group. Execution of this Action Plan is being guided by a Nuclear Energy Working Group under two Co-Chairs, one from the United States and one from the Russian Federation.

The Action Plan has seven sub-groups under the Working Group Co-Chairs:

• Global Nuclear Energy System Concept Development
• Transuranic Fuels Development and Testing
• Exportable Small and Medium Power Nuclear Power Plants
• Methodology for Establishing International Fuel Centers
• Advanced Monitoring, Control and Accounting Technologies Throughout the Nuclear Fuel Cycle
• Fast Spectrum Reactor
• Advanced Spent Fuel Processing and Waste Management

Status of Actions
The United States/Russian subgroups met in March 2007 in Obninsk, Russia, and in June 2007 in Vienna, Austria. These meetings resulted in agreement on specific topics for cooperation. The conduct of joint technical research and development is subject to establishment of an appropriate legal framework including an Agreement for Cooperation under Section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act and an agreement between the Department of Energy and a Russian Federation counterpart.

China

Bilateral Action Plan
“United States- China: Bilateral Civil Nuclear Energy Cooperative Action Plan,” signed on September 2007.

Basic Provisions
This bilateral Action Plan aims to facilitate joint research and development of advanced civilian nuclear energy technologies between the U.S. and China. It is intended to complement and reinforce multilateral collaborations being conducted under the GNEP Steering Group. Execution of the Action Plan is to be guided by a Nuclear Energy Steering Committee consisting of one co-chair from the United States and one from the People’s Republic of China.

The Action Plan proposes six areas of cooperation:

• Advanced Fuel Cycle Technology;
• Fast reactor Technology;
• Grid-Appropriate Reactors;
• Simulation and Modeling
• Safeguards and Physical Protection Technology; and
• Integrated Analysis and Studies on Global Assured Nuclear Fuel Supplies and Services.

Status of Actions:

The first meeting of the United States- China Technical Working Group took place on April 23-24, 2008, at Argonne National Laboratory-Chicago, Illinois.