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194 Managing Global Warming

provide a sound technological and scientific framework for the future, and must also
address the collateral issues such as nuclear nonproliferation more effectively and
realistically (e.g., India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, North Korea, and Pakistan positions).
Two fuel cycles are available now, which have both been extensively discussed
over the past 50years. One is the reuse of plutonium, having been literally produced
in “breeder” reactors, but, which requires a commitment to a mixed fast-thermal reac-
tor fleet. The other cycle is using thorium, which is more globally plentiful (perhaps
three times more than uranium), so meets the future needs. With careful fuel design
and recycling, a thermal reactor gives a near-breeding cycle, so is more sustainable
with much lower (up to 10 times less) waste amounts and storage needs. This thorium
cycle would enable more reactor deployment using today’s reactor technologies. But
there is no commitment today to full deployment, although France, India, Japan, and
Russia are all studying the use of plutonium cycles; and China, India, and others are
considering the deploying reactors using the integrated thorium cycle.

Acknowledgments

Authors would like to express their great appreciation to Mr. Sumio Fujii (Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries (MHI)), Mr. Yuchiro Yoshimoto (Hitachi GE Nuclear Energy, Ltd.), Mr. Ala
Alizadeh and Mr. Stephen Yu (Candu Energy Inc., SNC-Lavalin Group), US NRC, US
DOE, ROSENERGOATOM, ROSATOM, Toshiba, and authors of the figures from the
Wikimedia Commons website and Wikipedia for their materials used in this Chapter.
Also, authors would like to express his great appreciation to Dr. H. McFarlane, Dr. H. Paillere,
Ms. G. Grosch, and Generation IV International Forum (GIF) Secretariat for their materials used
in this Chapter.
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