Nuclear Security, Policy & Ethics

Worldwide the need for energy is growing. Particularly electricity demands seem to grow twice as fast as overall energy demands, rising by 73% by 2035. The production of nuclear power is also substantially growing in order to meet these electricity demands. The International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that some 50 countries will have nuclear reactors by 2030, up from 30 today, with the latest entrant being Iran.

If these projections are borne out, the 432 nuclear reactors currently operable around the world will be joined by more than 500 others within the next few decades. Nuclear technology has evident advantages for energy production purposes, but it also raises a variety of safety and security concerns.In this seminar, we will address security aspects of nuclear technology, by focusing on both the advancements in the nuclear fuel cycles and reactor technology, and on the governance and policy dilemmas that nuclear technology brings. The conference will host a group of internationally renowned scholars from the disciplines of nuclear science and engineering, policy, governance and philosophy. They will share their thoughts on international challenges for nuclear security in several lectures and discussion panels. Addressing the security issues of nuclear power production requires a profound understanding of this complex technology.

That is why, for the interested participants, we will also organize a visit to Delft University’s nuclear research reactor.This conference is part of the bigger event Nuclear Knowledge Summit that the Delft University is co-organizing with several partners. For more information about the larger event, please see: www.knowledgesummit.org