In this episode, we will talk about the management of the fuel cycle, a crucial issue in the development of nuclear energy. In a world undergoing profound changes, where carbon neutrality goals are driving new energy policies and conflicts between countries are disrupting the geopolitics of energy, mastering this cycle becomes essential. Today, the European Climate Law commits the EU to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and to meeting an intermediate target of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990. This objective implies the development of nuclear energy and, by extension, a growing need for fuel, which will impact on all the existing infrastructures dedicated to the fuel production, enrichment and reprocessing stages. New reactor programmes, whether high-power or modular, like SMRs and AMRs, are generating new and increasingly significant fuel demands. It is, therefore, urgent to anticipate these needs. Current fuel cycle plants are also aging, so their lifespan needs to be extended and new ones built. Current geopolitical tensions, especially with Russia, prompt a reconsideration of sources of uranium supply and raise the issue of energy sovereignty.

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