Category: News Story

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

As world leaders convene at this year’s UN Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or COP28, the IAEA will host and participate in around 50 events from 30 November to 12 December 2023, highlighting the solutions nuclear science and technology can provide in climate change mitigation, adaptation, and monitoring.

The IAEA’s Atoms4Climate pavilion in the Blue Zone will feature events focussing on on four areas: energy, food, oceans and water. Low carbon nuclear energy can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while nuclear techniques can be used to enhance global food security, monitor ocean health, and improve access to clean water — all of which are impacted by climate change.

IAEA Director General, Rafael Mariano Grossi, will announce the IAEA Statement on Nuclear Power supported by dozens of countries, in a flagship event on Friday 1 December that will highlight the role of nuclear power as part of the energy mix. The event will be livestreamed. 

Speaking at an  IAEA Board of Governors meeting ahead of COP28, Mr Grossi said: “For the first time in the history of COP, nuclear countries will be able to say yes, we are here, yes, nuclear energy is part of the solution for this global climate crisis that we have.”

Mr Grossi will also join French President Emmanuel Macron and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo on Saturday 2 December, to announce the first-ever nuclear energy summit to be held in Brussels next year. The event will be livestreamed. Read more.

See the IAEA @COP28 page for the complete list of IAEA and partner events.

Net Zero

The latest Emissions Gap Report from the United Nations Environment Programme indicates the world needs to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 28 per cent to limit the increase in global average temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and by 42 per cent to limit the increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius  — both goals set in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. COP28 will mark the first “global stocktake” under the agreement, a comprehensive assessment of the progress that countries have made on reaching their goals to cut emissions.

There is consensus within the climate community that energy sector carbon emissions will have to be reduced to net zero by around the middle of the century to meet these goals. Nuclear power, which accounts for about 10 per cent of global electricity generation and provides about one quarter of the world’s low carbon electricity, has a key role to play in a net zero future.

What is net zero? What is the role of nuclear power and innovations?

Nuclear power offers affordability, resilience and security of energy supply and can be used alongside renewables to achieve net zero. The IAEA’s Atoms4NetZero initiative provides decision makers with comprehensive, data-driven energy scenario modelling that includes the full potential of nuclear power in contributing to net zero emissions, helping to fill a gap in studies used by governments and financial institutions in support of new nuclear power projects.

On 5 December, high level international representatives will meet at the Atoms4Climate Pavilion for an event entitled Is Nuclear Deployment Too Slow for Net Zero? The panel will relate their experiences, with the aim of dispelling the common myth that nuclear energy is too slow to help meet decarbonization targets.

On 10 December, the Atoms4Climate Pavilion will host a forum on the theme of Building Clean and Resilient Energy Systems.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

“This report provides information on the type and amount of data that need to be collected for different imaging modalities — for example X rays or computed tomography (CT) scans — and on the different analytical uses of these data for medical facilities to ensure justified and optimized use of radiation in medical imaging,” said Miroslav Pinak, Head of the IAEA Radiation and Monitoring Section.

Medical imaging procedures represent the largest artificial source of ionizing radiation to which people are exposed, with around 4.2 billion performed each year around the world, a number that continues to rise.

The new publication encourages countries to move away from manual processes and adopt digital means of data recording and collection, which provide more accurate and efficient results.

“The guidelines can be applied to manual means of collecting and analysing exposure data, as these are still the only option available in many places. However, the publication highlights the greater benefits of using automatic digital systems for the collection and analysis of exposure data,” said Jenia Vassileva, a former IAEA radiation protection specialist, who was the focal point for this publication. “The report also recognizes the importance of standardizing data recording and collection, to ensure compatibility of data coming from different facilities and equipment.”

Previously, the analysis of doses received by patients from radiological imaging procedures relied on estimated dose values based on small samples of standard-size patients, and data collection was performed manually. Automated exposure monitoring systems can record and collect larger and more accurate amounts of data from radiological procedures and facilitate their analysis. This digital process allows medical professionals to better account for factors that influence doses and image quality, such as the patient’s weight, height and age, the imaged area of the body, and the equipment used. Such systems help radiology professionals to optimize doses to each individual patient- so that these are not unusually low or unusually high- and they also contribute to minimize unnecessary radiological procedures.

Patients who need recurrent imaging examinations over time can benefit from digital systems and electronic registries, which improve the tracking and sharing of exposure data for the whole sequence of images performed on the patient, minimizing unnecessary repeated procedures and optimizing future examinations.

 “The publication is a step forward in improving access to data on patient doses. This will facilitate the global data collection on medical exposure coordinated by UNSCEAR and the assessment of trends and patterns of radiological examinations, thus helping identify gaps in radiation protection and supporting epidemiological studies on radiation effects,” says Ferid Shannoun, Deputy Secretary at UNSCEAR.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The two leaders also discussed global non-proliferation issues, including the situation regarding Iran.

President Macron and Director General Grossi agreed for the need to highlight nuclear power’s potential to mitigate climate change at the upcoming COP28 international climate conference where the IAEA, France and Belgium will also announce the first-ever nuclear energy summit to be held in Brussels next year.

In a world where the full potential of nuclear power as part of a low carbon energy mix is still not fully recognized, France plays a unique global role in advancing this technology, Mr Grossi said. France’s 56 nuclear power plants account for more than 60 per cent of the total French electricity generation – the largest share worldwide. The figure is expected to rise as the country builds an additional reactor, plans to construct at least six more and considers the future deployment of small modular reactors.  

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The IAEA is calling for young people to participate in high level and technical discussions on nuclear security in next year’s International Conference on Nuclear Security: Shaping the Future (ICONS 2024). Interested university students and early career professionals are invited to apply for the Nuclear Security Delegation for the Future. Ten successful applicants will be chosen to participate and will have their expenses covered for the conference in Vienna next May.  

“Giving a voice to the young generation is of utmost importance for shaping the future of nuclear security,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Security. “Through the call for participation in the Nuclear Security Delegation for the Future, we are looking for young candidates with a passionate vision to engage in the international nuclear security dialogue.” 

The Nuclear Security Delegation for the Future is an opportunity for students and early career professionals to develop or refine their leadership, communication and diplomacy skills, by interacting with nuclear security professionals from around the world during ICONS 2024. 

Interested university students (undergraduate and graduate) and early career professionals with less than five years of work experience related to nuclear security from all IAEA Member States are invited to submit a comprehensive resume and a letter of motivation by 1 February 2024. A selection committee will review the submissions and interview a limited number of applicants to choose the ten members of the Nuclear Security Delegation for the Future.  

The ten successful applicants will be actively involved before and during ICONS 2024 in important parts of the conference. The results of their deliberations will be presented at ICONS 2024. The young delegates will also have opportunities for professional development including interactive sessions with senior officials, policy makers and nuclear security experts representing countries, industry and international organizations.   

The IAEA will cover the financial cost for the ten selected applicants’ attendance to ICONS 2024, including their travel and accommodation expenses. 

Details are available in the Nuclear Security Delegation for the Future announcement.  

For any relevant questions you can contact: ICONS2024 

ICONS 2024: Registration is open 

ICONS 2024 will be the fourth ministerial-level international conference on nuclear security. The upcoming conference programme includes both a ministerial and a technical segment, inviting participants to discuss nuclear security with a focus on the future. It will bring together ministers, senior government officials, high-level staff from agencies involved in making policy for, and managing, nuclear security, and technical and legal experts working in all areas of nuclear security. The conference aims to attract industry and civil society representatives, including non-governmental organizations and academic institutions. 

For more information about registration and participation see: Participation and Registration: International Conference on Nuclear Security: Shaping the Future.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Mr Grossi said that many of the IAEA’s initiatives relied on the IAEA’s laboratories in Seibersdorf. He announced the “very good news” that fundraising was now complete for the renewal of the Nuclear Application Laboratories (ReNuAL) initiative, describing them as “a unique asset” for countries around the world in his statement.  

Mr Grossi thanked the countries who had donated to the ReNuAL initiative for their generosity. To celebrate the achievement and to recognize recent contributions from Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Ireland, and the United States, the IAEA is planning a ReNuAL side event on the margins of the March 2024 Board of Governors meeting.

He thanked Germany and South Africa for acting as co-chairs and facilitating the successful completion of the project.

The IAEA’s Technical Cooperation department was also praised by Mr Grossi, which was the focus of a Technical Assistance and Cooperation Committee (TACC) meeting earlier this week. “Our technical cooperation programme is a major vehicle for the delivery of IAEA development support to Member States, and a core component of ‘Atoms for Peace and Development’,” he said in his statement.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

How can we provide a reliable supply of energy far out to sea, or on an island, or in a coastal community?  The typical answer is by using fossil-fuelled generators.  But as efforts to decarbonize global energy systems expand, one of the answers could be to use a floating nuclear power plant (FNPP).

Interest is growing in installing small modular reactors (SMRs) on floating barges or platforms to provide clean electricity and heat for remote coastal locations, to decarbonize offshore oil and gas or mining activities, or even to provide grid scale electricity production, unlocking cost reductions through serial production in shipyards. At an IAEA symposium on floating nuclear power plants that took place from 14-15 November 2023 in Vienna, legal experts, nuclear and maritime regulators, and industry leaders discussed the benefits and challenges of FNPPs and exactly what role they could play in the fight against climate change and the transition to Net Zero.

Opening the meeting, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said that in many countries “there is active consideration of floating nuclear power plants”.  However, as part of discussions about their viability and potential applications, the Director General said that safeguards and the international legal and regulatory implications needed to be thoroughly analysed.

Nuclear energy has already been in use for about 60 years in naval ships and icebreakers propulsion. However, FNPPs are different since they will produce low-carbon power and heat for different applications, including district heating, desalination and hydrogen production.

Floating NPPs can be built in a factory, assembled in a shipyard and transported to a site, all of which may help to speed up construction and keep costs down. Canada, China, Denmark, South Korea, Russia and the USA are each working on marine small modular reactor designs, some are in advanced development, and Russia even has one FNPP, the Akademik Lomonosov, in commercial operation in the far east of the country. The Akademik Lomonosov FNPP has been in operation, producing electricity and district heating, since 2020. It has replaced the shut down Bilibino NPP and the aging Chaunsk coal power plant.

However, it is the very mobility of these FNPPs that raises new questions, particularly when they move across international borders or operate in international, rather than territorial, waters. For example, how does the licensing and regulation process work when a FNPP is built and fuelled in one country’s jurisdiction, and then transported to another jurisdiction?

“The IAEA is working with our Member States to determine what further guidance and standards might be needed to ensure the safety of floating nuclear power plants”, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, Lydie Evrard, said. “The IAEA’s safety standards serve as the global reference for protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. There are also considerable legal and regulatory challenges that must be addressed if a truly international floating nuclear power market is to emerge,” she said.

Topan Setiadipura, the Co-Chair of the Symposium and Head of the Research Centre for Nuclear Reactor Technology (BRIN) in Indonesia said, “to some extent, floating NPPs are an interesting option for Indonesia as many power or utilities companies have floating diesel power plants or floating gas power plants”. However, acquiring more information and knowledge is essential to understanding whether embarking countries like Indonesia could use FNPPs in the future to replace fossil-fuelled floating power plants, he said.

During the symposium, discussions focused on current and future designs of FNPPs and their uses, including, for example, as a floating offshore installation for production of clean hydrogen to be converted into green ammonia for use in agriculture or as a low carbon shipping fuel. Participants also examined the specific challenges that the movability of FNPPs pose for their licensing, regulation, transportation and application of safeguards. Nuclear safety and security were discussed, including the extent to which the current standards and practices can, or cannot, be applied to FNPPs. The symposium’s concluding session identified the next possible steps to enable the deployment of floating nuclear power plants, including the establishment of a mechanism to improve communication between the nuclear and maritime industry on one hand, and regulators on the other, with focus on application of security and safeguards by design. 

“Getting to Net Zero requires the use of all clean energies available,” Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy, told the gathering. “Floating nuclear power plants are not in competition with land-based SMRs but extend the use and potential of such nuclear technology to reach our Net Zero targets.”

The symposium was organized in the frame of the Agency-wide Platform on SMRs and their Applications which aims at providing consistent and coordinated support to Member States for the development, deployment and oversight of SMRs. Through the Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative (NHSI), the IAEA also brings together policy makers, regulators, designers, vendors and operators to harmonize and standardize regulatory and industrial approaches to enable the effective global deployment of safe and secure advanced nuclear reactors.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Rays of Hope

Since the Rays of Hope initiative began on World Cancer Day in 2022, the ‘first wave’ countries of Benin, Chad, DRC, Kenya, Malawi, Niger, and Senegal have received a range of key radiotherapy and medical imaging machines – as well as training for the medical professionals needed to operate the equipment and provide safe and timely diagnostic and treatment services. The IAEA has six decades of experience in helping countries fight cancer, including in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO). The assistance provided by the IAEA has enabled many countries to establish and/or strengthen safe, secure and effective radiation medicine (radiotherapy, radiology and nuclear medicine) capabilities.

While in high-income countries nearly all patients have access to radiotherapy, in middle-income countries fewer than 60 percent do. In low-income countries, the figure drops to just only one in ten people with access to this life-saving treatment.

Integrated cancer care can help to prevent one third of all cancers, including some of the most common forms such as cervical, breast, head and neck, and colorectal cancers. Investments in diagnosis and treatment can enable diseases to be detected early and treated appropriately. The most prominent types of cancer in the DRC are prostate cancer in men with around 7471 new cases annually, and cervical cancer in women with around 7772 new cases per year, according to the online cancer statistics database GLOBOCAN.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Hundreds of lawmakers trained

Peri Lynne Johnson, Legal Advisor and Director of the IAEA Office of Legal Affairs said “For more than a decade now, the NLI has been the go to course on legislative drafting for officials from IAEA Member States. More than 600 lawmakers, ranging from decision-makers and legislative drafters, to lawyers, regulators, parliamentarians, and other stakeholders, have been trained, with many going on to provide the much needed technical and legal support during the national law-making process.” 

Pitambar Bhandari of the Ministry of Education in Nepal said he decided to attend the NLI to build upon the work of an IAEA Legislative Assistance mission to Nepal in March 2023.  

“The mission provided an opportunity for a wide range of government officials to have a view on international and national nuclear law, focusing on the relevant international instruments adopted by, and under, the auspices of the IAEA to which Nepal is not yet party,” he said. “To enable nuclear technology to play a vital role in addressing some of the world’s biggest challenges, we need a legal framework that carefully weighs its risks and benefits – which is the primary role of national nuclear law.” 

Bernardino Etoriaga Sayo, an Undersecretary in the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office of the Philippines, said the NLI’s course on drafting nuclear law had proved useful in preparing the country’s draft comprehensive nuclear bill which is expected to soon go before the Senate. “My participation at the NLI has provided me with the knowledge needed to help me support the Senate’s consideration of our draft Bill and the relevant international nuclear legal instruments including the 1997 Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage,” she said. 

Saabesele Somda, from the Ministry of Environment in Burkina Faso, said: “Our draft law was sent for IAEA review in October 2022 with a bilateral review meeting and an awareness mission being held in December 2022 to support our goal of tabling the law in the Parliament at the March 2023 session. My participation in this year’s NLI has been very helpful to my role as the head of the drafting committee and will enable me to effectively support the law-making process.” 

At the end of the course, groups of participants presented their drafts of a national nuclear law prepared during the course under a hypothetical country profile, explaining each article in the law, followed by a plenary session of questions from all participants and experts.  

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Making scientific data more accessible to decision makers, experts and the public is at the core of IAEA’s efforts for stronger transparency and enhanced international knowledge sharing. With this aim, the IAEA recently launched the IAEA Data Platform which centralizes access to various publicly shared datasets on a single platform. Through this platform, data can be maintained and standardized more efficiently and data users such as Member States, researchers and scientists can visualize and download data in a variety of formats.

The platform facilitates access to a range of different types of data such as the Incident and Trafficking Database, which serves as the IAEA’s information system on incidents of illicit trafficking and other unauthorized activities involving nuclear and other radioactive material outside of regulatory control, and the Modaria Dataset, an international compilation of radionuclide and stable isotope soil-plant concentration ratio values for tropical environments.

The IAEA Data Platform categorizes datasets according to three main topics: Nuclear Safety and Security; Nuclear Technology and Applications; and Safeguards and Verification. Additionally, it contains useful tools such as filtering options and tags for different datasets as well as an activity panel which tracks how the data has changed over time. These tools facilitate a better overview of the data and make the datasets more accessible to a broader audience.

One of the unique functions of the new platform is the application programming interface (API) option, which allows access to the data through systems. “While the platform provides an overall improved and more user-friendly experience to access IAEA data, the ability to access the datasets remotely is particularly valuable as it ensures that users always have access to the latest data,” said Clinton Tak, Associate IT Innovation Engineer at the IAEA. Tak added that “the API option enables researchers and scientists to analyse the data and create visualizations through commonly used tools such as PowerBI, Tableau, Python, and MatLab.”

The launch of the IAEA Data Platform is an important step towards migrating all data publicly shared by the IAEA onto one common repository, thereby facilitating knowledge of and access to all available IAEA databases, promoting transparency and enhancing data management practices.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Malaysia has long been a regional leader in using nuclear applications to advance sustainable development both nationally and throughout Southeast Asia. Building on decades of cooperation, the IAEA has extended the designation of the Malaysia Nuclear Agency (MNA) as an IAEA Collaborating Centre in three research areas: plant breeding, non-destructive testing and radiation processing of polymers.

“Malaysia has taken great strides in applying nuclear technologies for development since the 1970s. Today, the MNA is widely recognised as a regional provider of expertise and capacity building in each of the three areas of the Collaborating Centre’s work,” said IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications Najat Mokhtar at a signing ceremony held at IAEA headquarters on 27 September 2023 in the margins of the 67th General Conference.

“Malaysia is strongly committed to promoting peaceful applications of nuclear technology through the National Nuclear Technology Policy 2030, which was recently launched by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation. The redesignation of Malaysian Nuclear Agency as an IAEA Collaborating Centre marks a significant milestone in our nation’s journey towards harnessing advancements in nuclear technology,” said Malaysia Nuclear Agency Director General Rosli Darmawan.

Plant breeding using nuclear techniques to speed up the natural selection process is a significant element in Malaysia’s efforts to enhance the sustainability of its food and agriculture sector. This process, known as mutation breeding, produces stronger, more nutritious and higher-yielding crops. One successful example is the development of a new rice variety with improved ability to withstand both drought and flooding. The MNA’s gamma greenhouse, a large-scale irradiation facility, allows researchers to expose plants to low-dose radiation over longer periods of time, offering enhanced possibilities to improve crops through natural selection. The Collaborating Centre will make extensive use of the gamma greenhouse facility, including by providing services to plant breeders across Southeast Asia.

Non-destructive testing (NDT), which is used to evaluate the properties of a material, component, structure or system for characteristic differences or welding defects and discontinuities without causing damage to the original part, has contributed to the competitiveness of Malaysia’s manufacturing sector. For example, radiography is used to find cracks in welded joints in industrial piping. Malaysia has established a niche in Southeast Asia, offering non-destructive testing services to manufacturers in neighbouring countries. Several decades ago, the IAEA played an important role in establishing an accredited NDT training and certification scheme within the MNA. Today, the IAEA and the MNA are jointly pursuing research and training in advanced and novel non-destructive testing, making use of artificial intelligence, and developing prototypes of instruments and software. They are also working together to expand capacity building and training in the region.

Radiation processing of polymers has produced numerous new materials with desirable characteristics for the manufacture of medical devices, cables and other products, as well as biodegradable plastics. The IAEA’s collaboration with the MNA focuses on strengthening the development of environmentally friendly polymers, including various forms of plastic and rubber in many common consumer products. Special attention will be given to recycling polymers and producing bio-composites, a blend of natural and synthetic materials. The MNA has played a major role in spreading this know-how throughout the region, increasing the availability and use of these products and helping to reduce plastic waste. MNA’s expertise in radiation-based plastic recycling will also be put to good use in the IAEA’s NUTEC Plastics Initiative, which aims to help reduce global plastic pollution by upgrading plastic recycling processes using nuclear techniques. Malaysia has recently been designated as a pilot country for this flagship IAEA initiative.

“The IAEA’s partnership with the MNA in the Collaborating Centre will continue to be a driver of innovation for sustainable development in Malaysia and beyond,” Mokhtar said.