Action 49

France has signed 24 bilateral agreements for the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

Cooperation in the further development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes has been ongoing in the following sectors. Regarding nuclear energy, France has designed and constructed nuclear reactors, including EPRs in China (2018 and 2019), Finland (2022) and the UK (ongoing). French companies (EDF, Framatome, Orano …) are supplying services along the entire nuclear fuel cycle for around 400 reactors worldwide (providing nuclear fuel, radioactive waste management, maintenance of a secure and sustainable fuel supply, dismantling of plants…). The International Institute of Nuclear Energy is involved in the training of international partners, as well as the National Institute of Nuclear Sciences and Technologies, which has been recognised an IAEA Collaborating Centre since 2016 and trains partners in nuclear power programmes, research programmes and programmes to develop nuclear applications for health. In March 2022, a Centre of Excellence in nuclear security was founded by French companies as part of the IAEA Nuclear Security Support Centre network.

French company EDF has developed the SMR project NUWARD. EDF and the French Nuclear Safety Authority are working with its Finnish, Czech, Netherlands, Polish and Swedish counterparts to work on the authorizations processes for these types of reactors. It brings together training programmes from French companies in nuclear security, notably with a view to operational implementation by nuclear operators of IAEA recommendations. EDF, Orano and INSTN, in cooperation with CEA and ANDRA, also offer tailored training for those starting out in partnership with IAEA. EDF also offers onsite training of technicians who will work at plants.

France takes part in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, alongside the European Union, India, the Russian Federation, China, the Republic of Korea, Japan and the United States. France is also involved in the development of the Jules Horowitz Reactor with the Czech Republic, Spain, Finland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Sweden, India, Israel, China and the European Commission.

Between the 2010 and 2020 NPT Review Conferences, under the auspices of the Peaceful Uses Initiative (PUI) the United States made several notable financial and diplomatic contributions to expand access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy to States parties. Several of these contributions were specifically aimed to address the needs of non-nuclear weapon states and developing countries, including:

• The establishment of the American Assured Fuel Supply to function as a backup fuel supply for U.S. domestic or international partners;
• The contribution of nearly $50 million to the establishment and operationalization in 2019 of the IAEA’s Low Enriched Uranium Bank;
• The reallocation of €10 million to activities under the Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy and technical cooperation projects managed by the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development, and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology and the Regional Cooperation Agreement for the Promotion of Nuclear Science and Technology in Latin America and the Caribbean;
• The signing of five Nuclear Cooperation Memoranda of Understanding with Bulgaria, Ghana, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia to boost nuclear cooperation and support between the United States’ and these countries’ nuclear sectors.
• The collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy and their counterparts in more than 100 countries––including many low- and medium-income countries––to promote regulation, oversight, and accessibility of peaceful uses projects.