The peaceful uses of nuclear energy: technologies of the front and back-ends of the fuel cycle

The principal peaceful application of nuclear energy is that of electricity generation. The nuclear industry is a young one, which is today confronted with difficult choices, essentially because this activity generates fear. This fear is partly related to the generation of electricity in power plants but is particularly present in relation to the transport, reprocessing, management and underground disposal of nuclear waste. This paper examines, respectively, the nuclear technologies available today (1), the future perspectives for nuclear energy on a worldwide basis (2) and the controversial question of the management of nuclear waste and the insurability of risks (3). Nuclear energy can be considered as an alternative to fossil fuels in the context of policies to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The potential technological progress is a key element of the future of nuclear energy; but the crux of the problem remains the long-term management of waste.