“Nuclear Energy at a Crossroads”

Global 2013 marks the 20th anniversary of the Global International Nuclear Fuel Cycle Conference series since its inception in Seattle, Washington in 1993. It is the 11th conference in the series, and the 5th held in the United States. The previous conference, Global 2011, held in Makuhari Messe, Japan, successfully continued the series despite the devastating events earlier that year in Japan and at the Fukushima Diiachi Nuclear Power Station.

In the 20 years since the inception of the Global conference series, the route of nuclear energy has traveled in various directions: facing limited growth, the promise of a renaissance, a nuclear disaster, and now, stands at a crossroads. Following the Fukushima disaster, some countries have decided to phase out nuclear energy; others plan to reduce the amount of nuclear in their energy mix, while other nations continue to move ahead with aggressive plans for nuclear expansion. Construction of new generation III light water reactors are underway in a number of countries, with growing interest in nuclear energy by a number of nations without a nuclear infrastructure. International research programs continue to perform research on advanced fuels, reactors and fuel cycles, and making improvements in performance for existing fuel cycle facilities.

There is still a strong international interest in advanced fuel cycles utilizing portioning and transmutation. Progress continues in a few countries toward permanent geologic disposal of used nuclear fuel, while many countries are at a standstill or re-evaluating their approach to used fuel management.

Global 2013 will promote discussions on the current global situation in nuclear energy, development of current and advanced nuclear systems and fuel cycles, nonproliferation issues and challenges, and societal issues (public acceptance, human capital development, etc) regarding nuclear energy.

Global 2013 will be held at the Little America Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City is Utah’s capital and centered in the “Crossroads of the West” where cities, mountains, rivers and cultures converge. The city’s international airport and light rail system makes getting to and around town easy. Salt Lake City is a vibrant metropolitan area with a small-town feel: offering a friendly, clean and safe destination for our Global 2013 participants. 

For the Global 2013 brochure click here