During the 52. General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, which took place in Vienna in the first week of October, the Norwegian delegation participated in both political and technical discussions. The new project World Institue for Nuclear Security, called WINS, was of particular interest. The WINS center is to be situated in Vienna and has been initiated by the the american NGO Nuclear Threat Initiative. The goal of the center is to contribute to the exchange of experience and know-how between operators of nucelar facilities and through this to add to the traditional role of the IAEA. The traditional role is to assist member states in their implementation of international standards within nuclear security, and the WINS initiative wishes to further improve and boost this work. Norway has especially contributed to the establishment of the center by offering financial support to for participants from less developed countries.
Furthermore, the Norwegian delegation also participated in a seminar on the issue of a multilateral fuelbank during the General Conference. In February this year the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr Støre, announced that Norway would contribute $ 5 million to the establishment of a fuelbank under the authority of IAEA as a first step in the initiative for a multilateral nuclear fuelbank system.
The goal of this initiative is to supply nuclear fuel in a secure manner and at a reasonable price to all member states of the IAEA. As more and more countries are contemplating using nucelar energy as an energy resource, a multilateral regime can ensure that such a development is managed under safe and secure circumstances. Even though some countries may consider building national fuel-cycle-facilities, this is not an economic possibility for all states.
Norway upholds the fact that every nation has the right decide their own energy sources, including nuclear power, though this right should not be used at the expense of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT. A multilateral regime on fuel supply may be able to offer a safe and secure way for countries to be nuclear power states. Norway therefore strongly supports both WINS and a multilateral fuelbank as this can ensure positive and secure development within the nucelar energy sector.