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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 UNVIE VIENNA 000575 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR ISN/NESS - BURKART AND CARNAHAN 
DOE NE - MCGINNIS AND WELLING 
PARIS FOR USOECD - CLAPPER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ENRG TRGY KNNP IAEA
SUBJECT: GNEP INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT WORKING GROUP DRAWS BROAD 
AND SUBSTANTIVE PARTICIPATION 
 
¶1. Summary: The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) 
Infrastructure Development Working Group (IDWG) held its fifth 
meeting December 9-10, 2009, in Vienna, under U.S. chairmanship. 
Approximately 85 representatives from GNEP partner and observer 
countries, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 
Secretariat, other international organizations, business and 
academia attended the meeting and workshop.  Participants discussed 
priorities and activities the IDWG is undertaking in radioactive 
waste management, human resources development, small and medium 
reactors, country assessments, interaction with specialist 
organizations, and the IDWG Resource Library.  One day of the 
meeting featured a workshop on nuclear power plant and waste 
management financing.  Sustained attendance by representatives from 
Argentina and Brazil was a notable advance from previous meetings. 
End Summary. 
 
¶2. Background: The GNEP international partnership was formally 
established in September 2007 when 16 countries signed the GNEP 
Statement of Principles to become partners.  The partnership now 
comprises 25 partner countries: Armenia, Australia, Bulgaria, 
Canada, China, Estonia, France, Ghana, Hungary, Italy, Japan, 
Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Lithuania, Morocco, Oman, 
Poland, Romania, the Russian Federation, Senegal, Slovenia, Ukraine, 
the United Kingdom and the United States.  There are 31 countries 
invited to join the partnership that may attend meetings as 
observers: Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, 
Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Kenya, 
Kuwait, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Nigeria, 
Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, 
Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.  Finally, 
there are three GNEP observer organizations: the International 
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Euratom, and the Generation IV 
International Forum.  GNEP consists of an Executive Committee of 
ministerial-level officials, a Steering Group and working groups on 
Infrastructure Development and Reliable Nuclear Fuel Services.  The 
most recent GNEP Executive Committee ministerial meeting was held 
October 23, 2009 in Beijing, China. 
 
¶3. Background continued: The objective of the IDWG is to facilitate 
the development of the infrastructure needed for the use of clean, 
sustainable nuclear energy worldwide in a safe and secure manner, 
while at the same time reducing the risk of nuclear proliferation. 
The IDWG focuses on partners' main infrastructure development needs 
and challenges and pursues activities to address those needs and 
challenges.  It has six activity areas: 1) human resource 
development; 2) radioactive waste management; 3) small and medium 
reactors; 4) engagement with specialist organizations in the global 
nuclear power arena; 5) nuclear energy feasibility 
studies/assessments; 6) and the creation of an on-line Resource 
 
UNVIE VIEN 00000575  002 OF 005 
 
 
¶4. Meeting Participation: The IDWG's fifth meeting was open to all 
GNEP Partner and observer countries.  Partner countries that 
attended the IDWG meeting were Bulgaria, Canada, China, France, 
Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Lithuania, Poland, 
Russia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States. 
Observer countries in attendance were Argentina, Brazil, Germany, 
Netherlands and Slovakia.  The IAEA participated as an observer 
organization.  Three universities, 16 businesses, the World 
Association of Nuclear Operators and the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development also participated in the meeting and/or 
workshop. 
 
¶5. Radioactive Waste Management Subgroup: The subgroup, led by the 
United Kingdom, presented the results of three studies performed by 
partner countries.  Bulgaria presented on funding approaches for 
waste management and decommissioning/ dismantlement of 
infrastructure; the U.S. presented on interactions with public 
stakeholders for radioactive waste management strategies, including 
the site selection process for disposal facilities and other 
decision making activities; and the UK presented its review of 
current R&D efforts to gain a common understanding of R&D gaps in 
the area of waste management, decommissioning, and clean-up.  Future 
areas of analyses under consideration by the partners could include 
R&D mapping - who does what and why - and safe and secure storage 
and transport of radioactive waste. 
 
¶6. Human Resource Development: In the area of human resource 
development, the UK's National Skills Academy for Nuclear presented 
on its concept for an international skills passport in the nuclear 
energy field so that employees' skills could be recognized between 
plants.  Tied to the skills passport concept was a presentation from 
the UK's Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on resource coding, 
through which nuclear power plants would form a common set of codes 
for each position at a nuclear facility.  The IDWG may work to 
assess the broader applicability of these initiatives to partner 
countries.  In addition, the IDWG is working to provide a range of 
exchange programs to participating countries, mostly at the 
professional level.  Opportunities were presented by the UK, Texas A 
and M University and the University of California, Berkeley for new 
graduates entering the workplace, high school teachers, and 
university professors.  The U.S. reported on its experience with an 
exchange employee from the UK's "nuclear graduates" program.  The 
U.S. also demonstrated a human resources development modeling tool 
developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory which could be used by 
countries to predict future human resource needs.  Finally, the IAEA 
presented on its human resources development initiatives and France 
 
UNVIE VIEN 00000575  003 OF 005 
 
 
provided additional insights into its efforts to analyze 
perspectives on global human resource needs based on partner country 
surveys.  The IDWG tentatively plans to hold a workshop focused on 
human resource development at its next meeting in May 2010. 
 
¶7. Small and Medium Reactors: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 
(NRC) informed the IDWG about the status of its efforts to prepare 
for licensing of small reactors in the United States.  The firm 
Babcock and Wilcox then provided information on its new mPower 
reactor and an anticipated timeline for reactor licensing.  The 
Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute provided an update on the 
development of its SMART reactor and licensing by the South Korean 
regulatory agency. 
 
¶8. Support to Partner Countries for Implementation of Nuclear Energy 
Infrastructure Development - Assessments: Steve Goldberg of Argonne 
National Laboratory informed the IDWG about the lessons learned, 
methodology and key generic findings from the United States' 
infrastructure assessment in Ghana, begun earlier this year.  The 
assessment focused on selected issues listed under the IAEA's 
publication, Milestones in the Development of a National 
Infrastructure for Nuclear Power, because Ghana is just beginning to 
plan for a nuclear power program.  The IDWG is now seeking a new 
partner country for which to perform an infrastructure assessment. 
- 
¶9. Establishing Linkages with Specialist Organizations: The IDWG 
seeks to establish contact with external organizations that are 
involved in international nuclear energy development to tap into a 
broader set of experiences and resources.  The World Association of 
Nuclear Operators (WANO) was invited to attend the meeting and 
presented on its activities and safety culture. In addition, the 
U.S. NRC provided information on its international activities and 
expressed the need for a coordination mechanism for international 
engagement on nuclear safety.  The IDWG will discuss opportunities 
for possible engagement in this area. 
 
¶10. Resource Library Update: The U.S. reported it had revised the 
online IDWG Resource Library, now located at 
https://www.gneplibrary.org, and provided a demonstration.  Partner 
countries have been populating the library and the IDWG will seek a 
new set of countries to contribute information to the library prior 
to the next IDWG meeting in May.  Meeting presentations are posted 
on the Resource Library. 
 
¶11. Resources and Gaps Workshop: On December 10, 2009, the IDWG held 
a Resources and Gaps Workshop focusing on financing options for 
nuclear power plant construction and waste management.  Experts from 
government, industry, the IAEA and the Organization for Economic 
Cooperation and Development (OECD) shared information on financing 
 
UNVIE VIEN 00000575  004 OF 005 
 
 
challenges and strategies to overcome these challenges. The workshop 
featured four panel discussions.  The first panel addressed current 
financing options, challenges and risk management strategies.  The 
second panel provided country and industry perspectives on 
financing, including an overview of how South Korea has financed its 
nuclear power plant construction and China's financing strategies. 
A French government official outlined the important role government 
must play by providing a political commitment to nuclear power and 
by creating a skilled and competent regulatory authority, a clear 
and predictable licensing regime and a stable electricity market. 
Other topics discussed included the importance of addressing 
financing approaches in other areas addressed by the IDWG such as 
human resources development and radioactive waste management. 
Finally, Areva spoke on risk allocation and the uncertainty 
associated with new financing options such as merchant plants and 
build-operate-transfer (BOT) plants when compared to traditional 
financing models.  Some of the countries present suggested that 
encouraging the World Bank to change its policies to support nuclear 
power plant construction would be beneficial.  The third panel 
featured presentations by Deutsche Bank, Fitch Ratings and Societe 
Generale on financing strategies and options.  State/ISN presented 
on the need for an international nuclear liability regime such as 
the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage. 
Lastly, the OECD presented on the new framework its members adopted 
in June 2009 that gives improved terms for export credit support in 
the area of nuclear power.  The final panel featured a presentation 
by the UK on financing strategies for radioactive waste management, 
a Bulgarian presentation on funding approaches for waste management 
and decommissioning/dismantling of infrastructure, and a 
presentation by the chairman of the Lithuanian Electricity 
Organization on regional approaches to financing. 
 
¶12. Next Steps: The IDWG tentatively agreed to hold its next meeting 
in May 2010 with a workshop on human resources development.  The 
IDWG will also pursue additional analyses in radioactive waste 
management, organize additional professional exchanges, select a 
country for an infrastructure assessment, provide updates on small 
and medium reactor development and related infrastructure issues, 
review options for pursuing international safety coordination and 
assistance for member countries with financing strategies.  Finally, 
the IDWG will continue to coordinate closely with the IAEA. 
 
¶13.  USDEL to the GNEP IDWG prepared this report.  U.S. 
participation in the meeting included DoE (Office of Nuclear Energy, 
Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management, and National 
Nuclear Security Administration), State ISN/NESS, Commerce, the 
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Msnoffs. 
 
DAVIES 
 
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