Sustainable Nuclear Energy Helps Europe to meet its Energy Challenges

The European Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP) now gathers more than 100 organisations (research organisations, utilities, vendors, technology providers, technical safety organisations, universities, consulting companies and non-governmental organisations). Its first Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) was edited by a specific Task Group drawing on contributions from more than 160 scientists and engineers from more than sixty organisations member of SNETP and taking into account the feedback obtained from an open public consultation: the SRA provides the foundation for the establishment of joint research priorities that will enable european stakeholders, with the support of the European Commission, to transform a shared vision into reality, thus contributing to european energy policy and in particular, via the European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII), to the objectives of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan). This chapter will summarise the contents of the Agenda and present the prospects for the need for hot labs and their application for the different generations of reactors. The implications of the Fukushima accident for SNETP will be discussed and the imperative necessity of increased research, education and training, to reinforce the nuclear energy sustainability will also be emphasized.