Nuclear power plays a key role in limiting greenhouse gas emissions in Europe and contributes heavily to improving the EU’s independence, security and diverse energy supply. Yet, its social acceptance is closely linked to enhanced safety when managing long-lived radioactive waste. This contributes to resource efficiency and cost-effectiveness of this energy source, and ensures a robust and socially acceptable system protecting society and the environment.

Among the different safety strategies, partitioning and transmutation (P&T) reduces the amount of radiotoxicity and thermal power of these wastes, and leads to an optimal use of geological repository sites.

In line with SNETP’s Strategic Research Agenda, the SACSESS collaborative project provides a structured framework to enhance the fuel cycle safety associated to P&T. Safety studies will be performed for each selected process to identify weak points to be studied further. These data will be integrated to optimise flowsheets and process operation conditions. A training and education programme addressing safety issues in the nuclear energy industry will be implemented in close collaboration with other European initiatives.

The multidisciplinary consortium composed of European universities, nuclear research bodies, TSOs and industrial stakeholders will generate fundamental safety improvements on the future design of an Advanced Processing Unit.

SACSESS is an essential contribution to the demonstration of the potential benefits of actinide partitioning for global safety of long-lived waste management.