Energy and Nuclear Security Research at UIUC

Energy and nuclear security are two equally important areas of security which are combined together here both because of their similarities and because a number of researches are done in the overlap of these areas.

Energy Security primarily includes aspects of the reliable delivery of energy supplies as affected by the type of energy technologies in use. It also deals with man-made and natural interruptions of energy supplies, and the robustness of systems to prevention of and response to interruptions of energy supplies. Access to relatively cheap energy is essential to the functioning of modern economies while uneven distribution of energy supplies among countries leads to significant vulnerabilities. This makes energy security an area concerning not only the environment and the quality of life, but also international politics.

Nuclear Security includes technology relevant to nuclear weapons, security aspects of commercial use of nuclear energy, and unintended and intentionally caused exposures to radiological hazards. Nuclear energy and weapons that make use of it aren’t present in every country. But the greater risks of destruction compared to any other weapon or source of energy, combined with more countries getting access to it, make this a major area of security for the whole world.