Category: IAEA

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts reported hearing over 100 rounds of gunfire in the vicinity of the Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) on Tuesday, allegedly in response to drones flying near the plant’s training centre, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

The IAEA is aware of reports alleging that a training base for drone operators and drone launch pads have been deployed near unit 6 and the training centre at ZNPP. “The IAEA experts at the ZNPP have not seen any evidence of drones being launched, or the presence of launching pads, within the site perimeter. Furthermore, and according to the five concrete principles, an attack of any kind from the plant is strictly forbidden,” Director General Grossi said.

The IAEA team continues to report almost daily military activities at various distances from the site. On three separate occasions within a one-hour period on Tuesday afternoon, the IAEA team at the ZNPP, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP), heard a total of over 100 rounds of rifle fire. On Thursday, the ZNPP informed the IAEA experts that Russian Federation troops were engaging with drones near the ZNPP training centre and that there was no damage nor any casualties. The IAEA experts did not have the opportunity to confirm the presence of drones.

“This latest military activity at the plant illustrates the persistently unstable situation that poses significant nuclear safety and security challenges for this major nuclear facility,” said Director General Grossi.

The IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya (ISAMZ) team continued discussions with the ZNPP this week about the maintenance activities planned for 2024 and beyond. The plant confirmed that it plans to continue postponed work on the most extensive maintenance activities to be conducted at the ZNPP since the start of the armed conflict over two years ago.

“Ensuring the reliable operation of equipment important to safety at any nuclear power plant demands rigorous procedures,” said Director General Grossi. “Maintaining equipment important to safety at the ZNPP—the first plant situated amidst an armed conflict—is both complex and paramount.”

The IAEA was informed that maintenance activities on the equipment important to safety of unit 1 are scheduled to resume in mid-May, starting with the first of the three safety trains. The maintenance works on unit 1 are planned to be completed by around the middle of the year, around the same time that maintenance will commence on unit 6 for approximately three months. Subsequently, approximately six months of maintenance activities are scheduled for unit 2, commencing later in 2024.

ISAMZ was informed that some safety systems will be serviced in a comprehensive way, including disassembly and reassembly of the components. The IAEA experts will be requesting to observe some of these maintenance activities, where practical.

The ISAMZ team continued its regular walkdowns this week at the ZNPP site. Yesterday, the team visited the 750 kilovolt (kV) open switchyard where they observed that only one of its four main 750 kV power lines remains connected. The team again was informed that there are no activities being performed to restore connections of the other lines to the plant, due to the ongoing conflict. The IAEA experts continue to request approval to visit the Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP) 330 kV open switchyard, but such requests continue to be denied.

The team visited the ZNPP cooling pond and waterworks facilities earlier today, where they were able to confirm the integrity of the ZTPP discharge channel isolation gate and view the measuring point of the ZNPP cooling pond. However, the team’s request to visit the ZNPP cooling pond isolation gate was not approved due to “security reasons”, therefore the team was unable to confirm the status of the reinforcement and the overall integrity of the gate. The IAEA was last permitted to visit the ZNPP cooling pond in November 2023.

Over the past week, the IAEA experts visited the unit 1 and unit 5 reactor buildings and safety system rooms, where they observed the cooling pumps for the reactor and spent fuel pool in operation. No nuclear safety issues were observed by the team. In unit 1, the team observed some preparatory work for upcoming maintenance on the safety systems heat exchangers. The team also visited the turbine halls of unit 1 and unit 2 where they were able to observe some of the equipment, but were, once again, not granted access to the western side of the halls.

Furthermore, this week, the ZNPP informed ISAMZ that it would be permitted to observe the emergency drill based on a scenario related to the cooling systems at the site, planned for mid-May.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the IAEA teams at the Khmelnytskyy, Rivne, and South Ukraine NPPs as well as at the Chornobyl site reported that nuclear safety and security continues to be maintained. The IAEA team at the Rivne NPP was informed that one of the two 750 kV lines was unavailable for a few hours from the early morning to approximately 13:00 on 26 April, which did not affect the safe operation of the plant.

This week the Agency arranged two new deliveries of nuclear safety and security related equipment to Ukraine, bringing the total number of deliveries to 46. The South Ukraine NPP received a video surveillance system for use in high radiation field and gamma spectrometers. The equipment was purchased with funding from Australia and the European Union and is envisaged to help enhance nuclear safety and security at the site.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Europe and Central Asia’s first Anchor Centre has been officially inaugurated in Türkiye, as part of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s flagship initiative Rays of Hope: Cancer Care for All.  Rays of Hope aims to expand cancer care in low- and middle- income countries, where currently around half of cancer patients who need radiotherapy cannot access this lifesaving treatment. The inauguration ceremony at Ege University Faculty of Medicine this month was followed by the first regional workshop at an IAEA Anchor Centre, where cancer experts from around the world developed a roadmap for strengthening paediatric radiation oncology services in Europe and Central Asia.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said: “Cancer kills far too many people, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. As an Anchor Centre, Ege University will be supported by the IAEA to increase its training and research activities, adopt cutting-edge treatments and bring together international experts and partners to tackle this growing cancer burden.” 

Ege University Faculty of Medicine in Izmir was one of five Anchor Centres announced during the IAEA’s 67th General Conference in 2023, set up with the aim of boosting regional capacity for the delivery of cancer care. These centres will help to establish or expand capacities in radiotherapy and medical imaging as well as providing international research, networking and mentorship opportunities. 

The inauguration ceremony on 15 April was followed by a four-day IAEA workshop at Ege University on paediatric radiotherapy services in Europe and Central Asia. It drew key stakeholders from across the region to develop a blueprint for strengthening paediatric radiation oncology services, including 100 participants from 28 Member States, senior radiotherapy professionals, World Health Organization (WHO) representatives and other key collaborators such as St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. 

Ege University provides medical education and clinical training in Western Türkiye, where it serves around 10 million people. It has cooperated with the IAEA since 2007, participating in numerous technical cooperation and coordinated research projects, as well as clinical trials.  

“As capacity building and knowledge hubs for their respective regions, these centres play a pivotal role in advancing care,” said May Abdel-Wahab, Director of the IAEA Division of Human Health. “By providing targeted support to neighbouring countries in key areas such as education, training, research, innovation and quality assurance, these centres promise an enduring impact for Rays of Hope. Through them, the progress that has been achieved – in every clinic, community and country – can be sustained and scaled up, ensuring a brighter future of equitable cancer care for all.” 

Speaking at the ceremony, the Rector of Ege University, Necdet Baduk, said: “Education and training, research and innovation, high quality integrated clinical care should be the priority in cancer management. Ege University is ready to provide its capacity in education, training, research and innovation for the benefit of the cancer patients in its region.” 

 Eve-Külli Kala, Director of the IAEA Division for Europe in the department of Technical Cooperation added: “The inauguration of Ege University and its Faculty of Medicine as an Anchor Centre marks not just the unveiling of a new centre. This event reaffirms our shared commitment to combating cancer and alleviating the heavy burden it places on individuals, families and communities in our Member States.” 

The paediatric radiotherapy services workshop identified priority actions to integrate paediatric radiation oncology within comprehensive care, to provide better care for children with cancer in the region. It explored how radiotherapy service delivery can be optimized to efficiently use existing resources at the national level; and shared best practices and solutions for patient-centred care.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The discharge of treated water from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) is progressing in accordance with the Implementation Plan approved by Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA), the Task Force set up by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed.

The Task Force completed its second four-day mission to Japan since the start of the water releases in August 2023, to assess whether the approach taken by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and the Government of Japan to discharge ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) treated water is consistent with international safety standards. The standards constitute the worldwide reference for protecting the public and the environment from harmful effects of ionizing radiation.

Japan began discharging the treated water on 24 August 2023, and IAEA expert analysis of the five batches released since then have confirmed the tritium concentration in each batch of ALPS treated water released to date is far below Japan’s operational limit.

During the mission from 23 to 26 April, the Task Force – comprised of IAEA and international experts – visited facilities used for discharging the ALPS treated water at the FDNPS. Accompanied by TEPCO staff, the Task Force observed the tanks holding the water prepared for discharge, the transfer pumps building driving the water through the discharge system, the emergency isolation valves, the seawater pipe header diluting the water with seawater and the vertical shaft from where the diluted treated water travels to the sea. The Task Force also examined the radiation monitors and flow rate detectors feeding live data to the IAEA’s dedicated real time monitoring page.

The Task Force engaged in technical discussions with TEPCO – operator of the site – with reference to available source and environmental monitoring data and operational experience gathered during the first five discharges that occurred from August 2023 to April this year. TEPCO began the release of the fifth batch of diluted ALPS treated water on 19 April. The Task Force also met with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

In the IAEA Comprehensive Report on the Safety Review of the ALPS-Treated Water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station that was released prior to the discharge, the Task Force provided several topics that it would review during the discharge of ALPS treated water. 

Gustavo Caruso, Chair of the Task Force, said, “The Task Force reviewed the consistency of activities before and during the operation of the ALPS treated water discharges with the relevant international safety standards. The independent and science-based work of the IAEA and the Task Force will continue throughout the process, as we are focused on the ongoing and long-term activities.”

The main outcomes from the Task Force’s mission this week will be summarized in a report to be made publicly available later this year. The report on the First Review Mission to Japan after the Start of ALPS Treated Water Discharge (October 2023) is available online.

The IAEA Task Force has conducted seven ALPS-related missions to Japan since February 2022.

IAEA’s independent safety review

The IAEA’s independent, Comprehensive Report issued on 4 July 2023 found Japan’s approach to discharging the treated water is consistent with international safety standards and the results of the radiological environmental impact assessment performed by TEPCO show that the release as planned would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment. It was a culmination of two years of work by the IAEA Task Force, which includes external experts from 11 countries – Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States and Viet Nam.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi established an IAEA office at the FDNPS in July 2023 and signed an agreement with Japan in September 2023 that outlines the IAEA’s comprehensive and continuous safety review at the site and at sea. Conducting Task Force review missions is one way in which the IAEA will continue its multiyear safety review. “The IAEA said, and I said, that we would be monitoring the controlled discharge of the treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant before, during and after the operation. The IAEA is here, and we will continue to be here until the very last drop,” Mr Grossi said during his visit to Japan in March.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have continued to hear military activity in the region where Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is located, but there have been no reports of new drone attacks on the site over the past week, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

Earlier this month, a series of drone strikes targeting the ZNPP sharply heightened concerns about the already precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the plant, prompting Director General Grossi to call for an immediate end to these “reckless attacks” and maximum military restraint in an address to the United Nations Security Council on 15 April.

Three days later, on 18 April, the ZNPP told the IAEA team of experts stationed at the site that there had been another attempted drone attack on the plant’s training centre.

“We are not aware of any drone attacks since this reported incident one week ago, which is encouraging. However, we know from experience that the situation can take a sudden turn for the worse from one minute to the next. The situation remains highly unpredictable,” Director General Grossi said.

On Monday, the IAEA experts visited the training centre just outside the ZNPP site perimeter for the first time since the reported drone attacks on the building on 7, 9 and 18 April. They were not able to see its roof but were told by a representative of the training centre that it had not been damaged on this occasion. However, it had been a stressful and frightening experience for staff, the representative added.

The IAEA team did note that the training centre building was being repaired following damage it sustained in 2022, when the plant was hit several times.

The team has continued to hear outgoing artillery fire daily from locations at various distances from the ZNPP site. Last Friday, an air raid alarm was announced on the on-site speaker system instructing personnel to stay indoors, lasting for 90 minutes.

The IAEA experts have continued to conduct walkdowns across the site, where all units remain in cold shutdown. These included a visit to the reactor building and safety systems rooms of unit 3, where they observed the status of the main coolant pumps, steam generators as well as the operation of one low-pressure core cooling pump and one spent fuel pool cooling pump. They also went to the same unit’s pumping station, noting that the equipment appeared to be well-maintained.

Last Friday, they went to the turbine building of reactor unit 5 where they were able to visit areas on three levels of the building but were not allowed access to the western parts of the building.

The ZNPP separately informed the IAEA team that it is preparing to upgrade the fire protection system at the plant.

In addition, the IAEA experts this week also checked the status of the spent fuel casks in the site’s dry spent fuel storage and did not observe anything unusual, including with regards to the integrity of the seals on the casks. The experts were informed that the ZNPP conducts monthly visual inspections on the external integrity of the casks, annual integrity assessments with instrumentation to check for cracks and erosion and internal integrity checks every four years using cameras and other instrumentation.  

During recent discussions with the ZNPP regarding emergency preparedness and response, the IAEA experts were informed that an emergency drill is being prepared in the near future based on a scenario related to the cooling systems at the site, which are important for nuclear safety. The IAEA experts have informed the ZNPP about the team’s interest to observe this drill, and are awaiting notification from the plant on the date.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the IAEA teams present at the Khelmnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs and the Chornobyl site reported that nuclear safety and security is being maintained despite the effects of the ongoing conflict, including air raid alarms on several days over the past week.

Scheduled maintenance and refuelling activities are progressing at two of the four reactor units at the Rivne NPP and one unit of the South Ukraine NPP. The IAEA experts at these two sites also rotated this week.

The Agency has continued to deliver equipment for maintaining nuclear safety and security in Ukraine. Last week, Ukraine’s VostokGOK facility received equipment aimed at enhancing its physical protection and yesterday, the South Ukraine NPP received a beta spectrometer, bringing the total number of deliveries to Ukraine to 44. The equipment was procured with funding from Japan and the United Kingdom.