The idea of a multinational approach to nuclear energy is by no means new. It goes back to the dawn of the nuclear age. Summit Co-President Mohamed ElBaradei, director general Emeritus of IAEA drew a blueprint of nuclear energy at SHAPE-2010.
Since 1940s
In November 1945 - a few months after the horrific nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki - the United States, Britain and Canada proposed that all activities relevant to nuclear energy should be placed under international control. In June 1946, the United States - the world's sole nuclear power - put the so-called Baruch Plan before the newly created United Nations Atomic Energy Commission. The Plan proposed entrusting "all phases of the development and use of nuclear energy" to a new international authority. The manufacture of nuclear bombs would cease and existing bombs would be disposed of. Unfortunately, the Cold War got in the way and the Baruch Plan never materialized. By 1949, the Soviet Union had its own nuclear weapons and the nuclear arms race was unleashed," Director General ElBaradei said.
"The nuclear scene has changed dramatically since the 1940s in terms of risks and opportunities, but I believe that, today, multinational approaches are an idea whose time has come. In 2003, half-way through my second term as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA), I began advocating the establishment of multinational mechanisms to ensure access for all countries to nuclear fuel and reactor technology, as envisaged in the IAEA Statute," ElBaradei continued, "I was motivated by three main factors: first, the expected increase in global use of nuclear power and therefore the growing need for multinational services; second, the realization that mastery of the fuel cycle blurs the distinction between nuclear-weapon-states and nuclear-weapon-capable states and that multinational approaches would significantly reduce the capacity of the latter to develop nuclear weapons; third, the fact that, although management of spent fuel and waste is becoming a growing concern, there is still no long-term disposal facility. At the front end of the fuel cycle, multinational approaches should deal with assurance of supply and non-proliferation. At the back end, the concern is with non-proliferation and assurance of disposal."
A Modest Proposal
Mohamed ElBaradei argued that it was time to limit the processing of weapon-usable material in civilian nuclear programs. Further arguments covered the production of new material through reprocessing and enrichment needed to be limited as well by agreeing to restrict these operations exclusively to facilities under multinational control. "These limitations would need to be accompanied by adequate verification rules and, above all, by an assurance that legitimate would-be users could get guaranteed access to these facilities and their products," ElBaradei said.
Today and Tomorrow
Efforts to achieve multinational approaches have gained momentum recently because of the renewed commitment by the US President Obama to move towards a world free from nuclear weapons. No meaningful nuclear disarmament scenario will be complete without some form of multinational control of the fuel cycle.
"As all of us know, global energy demand continues to grow inexorably and the use of nuclear power for electricity production seems certain to rise significantly in the next few decades. This is primarily because of the huge need for additional energy as the world's reserves of fossil fuels are depleted and concerns about global warming mount. Most of the 30 countries are already using nuclear energy and plan to expand their output. Scores of countries - mostly in the developing world - have expressed interest in launching nuclear power programs. Around a dozen are actively preparing such programs. It is vital, if we want nuclear power to make a meaningful contribution to the energy mix, that its use is managed in a robust and comprehensive manner, taking into account all economic, safety, security and non-proliferation considerations," Mohamed ElBaradei asserted.
What are the key requirements if multinational approaches to the fuel cycle are to work
Mohamed ElBaradei answered, "First, I believe, any mechanism must be unambiguously under some form of multinational control, not just managed by the leading nuclear powers or a few suppliers. Consumers and suppliers should be equal partners. Otherwise, the mechanism would fail to win the confidence of countries considering a nuclear energy program. There would need to be cast-iron, built-in assurances that the host country of a multinational facility could not divert material for its own use. This means the multinational partners should not just share legal ownership of the assets but should also be active participants in the management of the facility. A robust system of verification should be in place. Secondly, an assurance of supply mechanism should be in accordance with the requirements set out by the IAEA Statute. The third would be the supply of nuclear material or services to a recipient State should be determined by non-political criteria established in advance and applied in an objective and consistent manner. Any multinational mechanism must be part of a new nuclear order that reflects today's realities. The global political environment is critical to the success of such an undertaking. This is because there is a symbiotic relationship between nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. Neither will function without the other. The nuclear weapon states must fulfill the unequivocal undertaking they gave at the 2000 NPT Review Conference 'to accomplish the total elimination of their nuclear arsenals.' Fortunately, there have been signs of progress on that front lately."
One of the attendees from Germany said after the keynote speech, "I did not plan to stay much longer before I came to the summit, but I was very surprised to see how much nuclear energy has been developed. I am going to stay until the last plenary speech and learn to be aware."
