Recent research in advanced fast reactors and fuel cycle strategies in Spain

One of the main drawbacks of current nuclear energy is the generation of high-level radioactive waste. On the other hand, the composition of the used nuclear fuel would still allow a very high amount of energy to be obtained from it. Advanced fuel cycles look for a better use of nuclear fuel while reducing the amount of waste generated by closing the fuel cycle, that is, reprocessing and recycling the useful elements. At the same time, this would increase the sustainability of the fuel cycle. For this to become a reality, research needs to be carried out in fields such as advanced fuel cycle scenarios, advanced nuclear reactors or advanced partitioning processes.Although with an official open fuel cycle policy, Spain remains interested in the reutilization of irradiated fuel and actively participates in the national and international R&D activities that pursue this objective. In this paper, we report on the main activities that are currently being performed and that had been performed in recent years in this field in Spain. The main lines of research followed, and projects in which Spain has participated or is currently participating will be outlined, together with the most relevant results and the knowledge transfer activities which are being carried.