Summary of GIF organization to develop the next-generation reactors



1. What is the Generation IV International Forum?

  • The Generation IV International Forum (GIF) is an international framework established in July 2001 to promote the R&D of Generation IV (Gen IV) nuclear energy systems that meet the goals described in Section 2 though multilateral collaborations.
  • Current member countries as of March 2020 are 13 countries and 1 organization—Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Japan, China, Korea, South Africa, Russia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, the United States, and EURATOM.

2. What are the Generation IV nuclear energy systems?

  • Gen IV nuclear energy systems are next-generation reactor concepts being developed following the first generation, which are early protocol models, the second, the existing light water reactors (LWRs), and the third, improved LWRs such as ABWR, AP1000, EPR and SMR (Fig. 1).
  • GIF selected the six systems in 2002. (Fig. 2) and promoting them as innovative systems that meet the following goals.
  • Sustainability
    • Efficient use of fuel
    • Minimum waste and its management
  • Safety and reliability
    • Safe, reliable operation
    • Very low likelihood of core damage and minimal degree of the damage
    • No need to have off-site emergency response
  • Economy
    • Lifecycle cost superior to other energy sources
    • Financial risk comparable to other energy projects
  • Proliferation resistance and physical protection
    • Unattractive to terrorists because of its difficult accessibility (hard to be stolen and diverted to weapons)
    • Terrorism resistant

  • Frequently Asked Questions about Gen IV Reactor Design
    Benefits and Challenges in Gen IV Reactor

Figure 1 The generations of nuclear energy systems




Figure 2 The six reactor technologies selected as Gen IV nuclear energy systems


3. Development schedules

  • Schedules of the six systems development, according to the GIF Technology Roadmap (updated in January 2014, Fig. 3)

    • (1) Viability phase
        Experimental/analytical feasibility studies on basic concept, fundamental technical trials
    • (2) Performance phase
        Performance studies to verify assumed phenomena and engineering systems to keep functional integrity
    • (3) Demonstration phase
        Demonstration activities of detailed design, compatibility against regulation, construction, and operation
    • GIF member countries practice collaborative R&D until their designs enter demonstration phases.

    • When will Gen IV reactors be built? (FAQ)


Figure 3 Development prospect and phases



4. History of GIF

1999The U.S. proposes the establishment of GIF as a framework for R&D of Gen IV nuclear energy system concepts. (Table 1)
Jan. 2000Joint statement of the GIF establishment is issued.
July 2001GIF Charter is signed, formulating the philosophy of the system development. (Table 1)
July 2002The 6 systems are selected from over 100 design concepts.
Dec. 2002The technology Roadmap is developed.
Feb. 2005Original nine countries sign the Framework Agreement (FA), the agreement that stipulates collaborative development activities to be conducted within GIF. (Table 1)
2006They sign System Agreement (SA) on four systems out of the six, followed by other countries that become members later. The member countries sign the Project Agreement (PA) that stipulates GIF’s R&D programs.
2010They sign memorandum of understanding (MOU) on two systems out of the six.
July 2011They agree to sign an extension of the Charter, which is set to automatically extend after this.
Jan. 2014The Roadmap is updated according to the R&D progress.
Feb. 2015The FA is extended (until February 28, 2025).

Table 1 Member countries signed into the FA (as of January 2020)

Members
(Signed)
Implementing OrganizationsFramework
Agreement
System ArrangementMemorandum
GFRSCWRSFRVHTRLFRMSR
ArgentinaAs yet
unestablished
AustraliaAustralian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)Sep. 2017xx
BrazilAs yet
unestablished
CanadaNatural Resource Canada (NRCan)Feb.2005xxx
EURATOMThe Joint Research Center (JRC)Feb. 2006xxxxxx
FranceCommissariat a lenergie atomique et aux energies alternatives (CEA)Feb. 2005xxxx
JapanAgency for Natural Resource and Energy (ANRE (SCWR))
Japana Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA)
Feb. 2005xxxxx
KoreaMinistry of Science and ICT (MSIT)
Korea Nuclear International Cooperation Foundation (KONICOF)
Aug. 2005xxx
ChinaChina Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA)
The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)
Dec. 2007xxxx
South AfricaDepartment of Energy (DoE)Apr. 2008
RussiaROSATOMDec. 2009xxxx
SwitzerlandPaul Scherrer Institute (PSI)May 2005xx
United KingdomDepartment for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)Oct. 2018xx
United StatesDepartment of Energy (DOE)Feb. 2005xxxx


5. Governance structure (Table 2 and Fig. 4)

  • Policy Group (PG) manages GIF' overall activities and operation including finance. Japan, the U.S., France, Korea and Canada serve the Chair or Vice Chairs and lead the member countries.
  • Expert Group (EG) provides technical advice and counsel to PG.
  • System Steering Committee (SSC), formed under each of the six systems, plans and monitors R&D of each of the systems.
  • Project Management Board (PMB), formed under each of the six systems, plans R&D of each of the systems.
  • Methodology Working Group (MWG) examines and promotes the development of cross-cutting evaluation methodologies on economic modeling, proliferation resistance and protection, risk and safety, education and training, and Advanced Manufacturing and Material Engineering.
  • Policy Secretariat (PS) assists PG and EG, and Technical Secretariat assists SSC, PMB, and MWG.
  • Senior Industry Advisory Panel (SIAP) reviews Gen IV system developments and/or advises development directions from industrial point of views.
  • Task Force (TF), formed for a limited time, addresses issues on the basis of PG’s discussions. There is currently Non-Electric Applications of Nuclear Heat (NEaNH).



Figure 4 Governance Structure



Table 2 Functions of the groups

GroupsRoles
Policy Group (PG) PG makes decisions on the whole future GIF directions and administrations including finance, and is responsible for relation with other organizations.
Expert Group (EG) EG reviews the progress of each reactor system development and Methodology/Opportunity Working Group activities, and also discuss new emerging factors to develop Gen IV systems.
Senior Industry Advisory Panel (SIAP) SIAP advises GIF activities from industries point of views toward commercialization of reactor systems.
System Steering Committee (SSC) SSC develops the reactor system based on System Research Plan. Provisional SSC keeps information exchange based on MoU (Memorandum of Understanding). Provisional SSC becomes official SSC after establishing System Arrangement with System Research Plan.
Project Management Board (PMB) PMB plans, reviews, and carries out each project R&D according to System Research Plans under the support of SSC.
Methodology/Opportunity Working Group MWG develops common Methodology as Gen IV system for 1) Risk and safety, 2) Economic Model, 3) Proliferation resistance and physical protection, and applies Gen IV Methodology to Gen IV system based on GIF goals. OWG develops opportunities for 4) Education and Training. They are permanent Working Groups.
Task Force (TF) TF solves specific issue within the limited time scale. Interim TF or voluntary Gr develops Terms of Reference (ToR) to solve specific issue and TF carries out their activity based on ToR.
Policy Secretariat (PS) PS assists the Chairs and organizes PG and EG meetings.
Technical Secretariat (TS) TS organizes GIF meetings and handles finance.


6. Cooperative activities with other organizations

  • GIF has strong cooperative activities with IAEA, OECD/NEA and CEM NICE Future(Table 3 and Fig. 5). GIF shares information of open events/webinars/publications with GIF partners to understand/offer the emerging opportunities.
    GIF keeps holding open symposiums, workshops and communicates with stakeholders. Not only publishing technical documents but also sharing the stances to develop the advanced reactors with stakeholders.

Table 3 Cooperative activities with other organizations

OrganizationActivities
IAEA
  • GIF and IAEA hold an annual interface meeting to discuss how to cooperate each other. In the 15th meeting in June 2021, we exchanged information about activities regarding advanced reactor technologies, non-electrical applications, integrated energy systems, economics, safety, PRPP, education / training, advanced manufacturing / digitalization / qualification, and modelling / simulation / R&D infrastructure.
  • They also have regular workshops on the safety of liquid-metal-cooled and gas-cooled reactors to develop global safety standards.
OECD/NEA
  • GIF, which represents developers and designers, participates in Working Group on the Safety of Advanced Reactors (OECD/WGSAR) to communicate with regulatory bodies.
  • GIF is working together with NEA technical committees and aligning with their activities in various fields of study such as market needs, SMR activity.
CEM NICE Future


*Click on the figure to open the pptx file.

Figure 5 GIF and GIF Partners (including a potential partners)