Role of safeguards in proliferation resistance for the future nuclear fuel cycle systems

Kuno, Yusuke; Senzaki, Masao; Seya, Michio; Inoue, Naoko 

A large amount of plutonium as well as high Pu should be handled in the future fast reactor nuclear fuel cycle (FR-NFC), where very robust measures for nuclear proliferation-resistance (PR) may have to be taken to prevent nuclear proliferation. To find a good balance of extrinsic barrier and intrinsic one will come to be essential for NFC designers to optimize civilian nuclear technology with nuclear non-proliferation. International Safeguards including Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol is the most effective institutional barrier among other institutional measures in non-proliferation regime. The advanced Safeguards with high detectability can play a dominant role for PR in the states complying with full institutional controls. In this context, a new concept of differentiation in the intrinsic measures depending upon the level of Safeguards could be applied from the viewpoint of plant design rationalization.