The transition to a sustainable energy system requires addressing social, economic and environmental challenges simultaneously.
To explain this complexity, the World Energy Council (WEC) introduces the “energy trilemma”, which reflects the balance needed among energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability to build a fair and lasting energy strategy. Achieving this balance demands urgent decisions, coordination among multiple actors and dialogue supported by expert knowledge.
Within this framework, nuclear energy plays a key role, as safety requirements permeate all stages of its use, from design and operation to decommissioning and radioactive waste management. The nuclear fuel cycle therefore represents the structural component that links nuclear generation with the broader energy system. Understanding its stages is essential to ensuring the application of safety, efficiency and sustainability throughout the lifetime of the fuel.
The nuclear fuel cycle comprises a sequence of interconnected steps extending from uranium extraction to the final management of radioactive waste. Before entering a reactor, uranium must undergo mining and milling, conversion, enrichment and fuel fabrication. After irradiation, the spent fuel may be subjected to interim storage, reprocessing and recycling before the remaining waste is conditioned and disposed of.
The Women in Nuclear Law Initiative (WiNLI) was launched in March 2023 under the framework of the partnership between WiN Global and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA). This partnership was launched in September 2022 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the NEA and WiN Global to further strengthen the common objective of both to improve gender balance in the nuclear sector.
WiN Fuel Group of Expertise seeks to cover all technical aspects of the nuclear fuel lifetime: uranium supply, design and engineering, manufacturing, services at the plant and waste management. Our purpose is the involvement of women interested in the nuclear fuel cycle.
WiN Fuel was launched in September 2025. Operating as a group of expertise within WiN Global and with the key support of ENUSA, serves as a professional network focused on promoting, supporting and empowering women working across the nuclear fuel cycle. WiN Fuel is currently seeking further partner organizations from around the world.
Although the presence of women is increasing among younger generations, they remain underrepresented in the nuclear sector. Through the WiN Fuel group, we aim to build a shared space at a global level, which promotes collaboration and strengthens the network of professionals working across the nuclear fuel cycle, while also encouraging new talent entering the field.
Join us, share your expertise, and help shape meaningful impact across the WiN Global community.
Nuria Moral Fernández – ENUSA – Industrias Avanzadas
Nuria holds a PhD in Nuclear Science and Technology from the Polytechnic University of Madrid. She began her career as a researcher in reference institutions where she acquired highly specialized scientific-technical expertise. For ten years she has been developing her career at ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas, currently as a Nuclear Design Engineer, designing, analysing and optimising the reactor core, that is, the layout of the fuel and its behaviour during the cycle.