Fuel cycle strategies for the sustainable development of nuclear energy: The role of accelerator driven systems

The paper summarizes fuel cycle strategies which can call for the development of accelerator driven systems (ADS) and shows how an ADS-based transmutation strategy can be envisaged in a regional context. Finally, a path towards the demonstration of the ADS concept will be proposed, which accounts for the need of developing a consistent strategy of dedicated fuel development and validation with long-term irradiation programs.