Category: Nuclear Energy

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IAEA Director General in Slovenia Before Key Nuclear Power Referendum

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The JEK2 project would provide up to 2400 MWe capacity with a pressurised water technology of either GEN III or GEN III+ design, further strengthening Slovenia’s capacity to reduce emissions and meet its climate and development goals.

The Director General spoke to a number of Slovenian media outlets on the topic. “I have seen much interest here in detailed nuclear topics related to price, waste and safety. I am happy to answer any questions and appreciate these informed exchanges.

“I think the important thing is that the Slovenian society is well-informed, and that there is a good public debate about it. My impression is that there is widespread consensus on the reasonability of moving forward with nuclear in the country. But, of course, it will be up to the Slovenes to decide what you want to do.”

Mr Grossi spoke of nuclear power’s key role supporting the clean energy transition. “An integrated intelligent energy mix is what is needed. You cannot have full reliance on one single source of energy. We believe that renewable energy is indispensable, and it should be scaled up. The issue here is that you also need base load energy. You cannot power a full economy simply on renewable energies.

“So, countries are choosing what kind of base load capacity they can use. Many important economies are looking into nuclear simply because they need useful instruments that will allow them to have this base load energy,” he added.

Following the political gathering this morning and a meeting with Bojan Kumer, Minister of the Environment, Climate and Energy, Mr Grossi spoke with student groups on the topic.

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Independent Review Assesses IAEA’s Internal Safety Regulatory System for First Time, Finds Well-Established Framework

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi (center) at the opening of the Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission to the IAEA.  (Yiran Zhang/IAEA)

The first-ever independent review of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) internal radiation safety regulatory framework has confirmed that the system is well-established, with the IAEA’s regulator showing a strong dedication to ongoing enhancement and improvement. The review provided recommendations for a further strengthening and enhancing of the Agency’s regulatory system for safety.

The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission, held from 30 September to 9 October, was requested by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi last year. In line with his request, the mission covered all core regulatory areas of radiation safety, waste safety, emergency preparedness and response, transport, and the interface with nuclear security.

The IAEA uses radiation technologies and implements international safety standards in its own operations, overseen by an independent regulator who is also part of IAEA staff.

 This regulator provides safety oversight of activities which involve radiation uses at the Agency’s laboratories in Vienna, Seibersdorf, and Monaco. Additionally, the regulator oversees the IAEA’s involvement in activities conducted, organized, or contracted within its Member States.

“Radiation safety demands unwavering vigilance and preparedness,” said Director General Grossi. “By initiating this unique IRRS mission, the IAEA is leading by example, applying the best safety practices also to our own work and openly communicating on any gaps. This is especially important today, as the number of new nuclear projects continues to grow worldwide.”

Using IAEA safety standards and international good practices, IRRS missions are designed to strengthen the effectiveness of the national legal and regulatory infrastructures while recognizing the responsibility of each country to ensure nuclear and radiation safety. It is the first time an IRRS was conducted in an organization that does not belong to one Member State, a fact that was recognized by the IRRS team as a good practice.  

“The Agency has demonstrated a strong commitment to IAEA safety standards by proactively utilizing the peer review system, typically designed for Member States, to evaluate its own internal implementation of these standards,” said Carl-Magnus Larsson, IRRS Team Leader. “This approach goes beyond what is required, is unique, and serves as a replicable model for other organizations”.

During the ten-day mission, the IRRS team – comprised of 10 senior regulatory experts from Canada, Czech Republic, Brazil, Norway, Qatar, Slovenia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America and Zimbabwe, two IAEA staff members and one observer from Austria – held discussions with Agency staff and observed regulatory inspections at the Agency’s Insect Pest Control Laboratory in its nuclear applications laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria.

The IRRS team concluded that the IAEA’s regulatory programme for radiation, transport, and waste safety is well-established, demonstrating its strong commitment to upholding international safety standards. Additionally, the IRRS team welcomed the regulator’s dedication to continuously advancing and improving the IAEA regulatory system.

The review also included recommendations to help the Agency further strengthen the effectiveness of its regulatory framework and functions. These recommendations will be detailed in the final report, which is expected to be completed within the next three months.

The findings included the need for the IAEA to:

  • Develop a comprehensive policy and strategy for safety, tailored to the IAEA’s specific strategic and operational activities.
  • Initiate a review of resourcing to ensure that the Regulator has sufficient human and financial resources for sustainable discharge of its assigned responsibilities, including the resources needed to continuously improve the regulatory framework and to enhance the competence of the regulatory staff.
  • Consider formalising arrangements to ensure continued regulatory independence.
  • Consider assessing events occurring at the IAEA laboratories involving radiation technologies at the Agency Seat against the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) and report those events at Level 2 and above to Member States.

The Team provided specific recommendations for the IAEA Regulator, including:

  • Completing the documentation for the regulatory management system.
  • Arranging for independent assessments of the regulator’s leadership for safety and safety culture at planned intervals to improve the overall safety performance.
  • Finalizing and formally adopting procedures for authorization taking into account a graded approach.  
  • Developing an inspection programme and plan in accordance with a graded approach.
  • Formally adopting a process for establishing regulations and regulatory guides, including the frequency for reviewing the regulatory guides and a system to ensure that the development and implementation of regulations and guides is based on a graded approach.

IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security Lydie Evrard said that at a time when several countries are setting up or strengthening their regulatory frameworks the IRRS mission to the IAEA is indicative of the Agency’s own commitment to the international safety standards. This mission also demonstrates that every regulatory body can benefit enormously from such a review regardless of their size and status.

“The recommendations from this mission will help us to continuously improve and we are committed to further strengthening and enhancing the Agency’s regulatory framework for radiation safety,” said Deputy Director General Evrard.

IAEA safety standards

The IAEA safety standards provide a robust framework of fundamental principles, requirements and guidance to ensure safety. They reflect an international consensus and serve as a global reference for protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.

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IAEA Experts Find Evidence of Microplastic Pollution in Antarctica from NUTEC Plastics Research Mission

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The NUclear TEChnology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics) initiative uses nuclear-derived tools and technology to fight global plastic pollution on two fronts: at point of source, by introducing new technologies to improve plastic upcycling; and to monitor plastic pollution in the ocean, where the bulk of plastic waste ends up. IAEA NUTEC experts work for and with countries to address this growing threat and ensure that they have the knowledge and capacity they need to assess, monitor and mitigate plastic pollution.

Sharing preliminary findings at a side event of the 68th IAEA General Conference last week, NUTEC Plastics experts informed the delegates about the process of developing protocols and analysing these microplastic particles.

“While microplastics have been studied for a few years now, we are now addressing the presence of microplastics even smaller than what previous research has been able to analyse. As the techniques and protocols have never been harmonized for microplastics of this size, it can take significant time to test or develop these methods and ultimately apply them”, said IAEA Research Scientist Marc Metian. “Preparation and analysis can take up to twenty days for just one sample.”

Preliminary results show that every sample analysed to date, contained microplastics, namely Teflon, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Once the analysis of all samples collected will have been completed, the results will be published and shared with the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research, an interdisciplinary body of the International Science Council which provides scientific advisory to the Antarctic Treaty.

Speaking at the side event, Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino said: “Our country’s commitment to the Antarctic environment, as well as to international and scientific cooperation, is clearly demonstrated. We believe that the NUTEC Portal will be a valuable and effective tool to support the IAEA’s efforts to address shared challenges through the peaceful applications of nuclear energy”.

(From right) Deputy Director General Najat Mokhtar, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs H Diana Mondina and Director Luis Longoria Gandara attend the side event “NUTEC Plastics Outlook and the Antarctic Mission” at the 68th General Conference of the IAEA in Vienna, Austria, 16 September 2024.  (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)

Representatives of Australia, Malaysia, Peru and the United States of America also made speeches. IAEA experts shared progress made in both aspects of NUTEC, including an updated roadmap for upscaling regional and national capacity to use irradiation technology for recycling and a revamped NUTEC portal for Member States to access up-to-date information.

The Antarctic mission is part of the IAEA’s ongoing action to build capacity in laboratories worldwide to generate information on plastic pollution levels and sources of plastic pollution through marine microplastic monitoring, and is a key step in advancing an overarching goal of developing a global marine monitoring network.

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World Cotton Day: The Role of Nuclear Science

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

(Photo: F. Llukmani/IAEA)

To mark World Cotton Day, the IAEA Director General has highlighted how nuclear science helps optimize the growth of the world’s most important natural fibre, at celebrations in Benin this morning. 

In his recorded message to over 400 attendees at the World Cotton Day celebration, Rafael Mariano Grossi spoke of the Agency’s role in the international ‘Partnership for Cotton’ and the importance of the crop.  

“Cotton really is a crop worth celebrating: It produces useful natural fibres. It alleviates poverty in some of the world’s least developed countries. It supports the income of women. And it removes harmful carbon from the atmosphere,” the Director General said. 

The IAEA has over six decades of experience developing and sharing nuclear techniques that help get the best out of soil, water and crops like cotton, as part of the work carried out by the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. 

The centre’s laboratories in Seibersdorf conduct applied research and through the Agency’s Technical Cooperation Programme, the developed technology is then transferred to countries and eventually to farmers to employ these techniques in the field.  

For example, IAEA/FAO scientists use irradiation to speed up the evolution of cotton seeds and develop varieties that are more resilient to drought, heat or disease.  

And in Pakistan, for example, this technique, known as mutation breeding (see Plant mutation breeding), has helped develop 32 new cotton varieties since 1970. Now, more than 40 per cent of the cotton-producing areas in Pakistan are benefiting from the use these new varieties with improved traits adapted to climate change. 

THE SCIENCE Plant mutation breeding

Plant mutation breeding is the process of exposing plant seeds, cuttings or other planting material to radiation, such as gamma rays or X-rays, and then planting the seeds or cultivating the irradiated material in a sterile rooting medium, which generates a plantlet. The individual plants are then multiplied and examined for their traits. Those exhibiting the desired traits continue to be cultivated. 

Plant mutation breeding does not involve gene modification, but rather uses a plant’s own genetic material and mimics the natural process of spontaneous mutation. 

More about plant breeding here. 

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Update 253 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been informed both by the Russian Federation and Ukraine about the assassination last week of an individual in the city where most staff of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) live, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

The person, identified as Mr Korotkyi, reportedly died in a car bomb explosion on Friday morning in Enerhodar, which is located a few kilometres from the ZNPP. In a letter to the IAEA, Russia affirmed he was “one of the key staff members responsible for ensuring nuclear security” at the plant. Ukraine told the IAEA he was not a ZNPP staff member anymore.

The IAEA is also aware of a public statement issued the same day by Ukraine’s military intelligence indicating that this person’s alleged actions after Russia took control of the ZNPP in March 2022 were the reason he was targeted. In addition, the country’s military intelligence posted an image of a destroyed car, and suggested others may also face “retribution”.

In follow-up communication with the IAEA, Ukraine said it “does not attack civilians”. Ukraine did not confirm or deny any responsibility for the attack.

In a letter to the IAEA, the Russian Federation said Mr Korotkyi was “head of the permits bureau” at the ZNPP and called the attack a “horrific crime” committed by Ukraine.

Director General Grossi reiterated that while the IAEA does not have forensic capabilities or authorities to investigate the incident, maintaining nuclear safety and security remains of paramount importance to prevent a nuclear accident during the conflict. With this vital objective, the IAEA in March 2022 established seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security that have been supported by all IAEA Member States.

Pillar 3 states that “the operating staff must be able to fulfil their safety and security duties and have the capacity to make decisions free of undue pressure”.

“Any targeting of employees of nuclear power plants would constitute a blatant violation of this pillar fundamental for overall nuclear safety and security,” Director General Grossi said.

“In addition, any statements indicating further retaliatory measures – potentially affecting staff of the Zaporizhzhya NPP – would be unacceptable and contrary to the safety pillars established by the IAEA,” he said. “Any such threats deny staff who are not responsible for the overarching political and military situation the minimum standards of working conditions to do their jobs properly.”

Director General Grossi once again called for maximum restraint during the conflict and said any action targeting staff at the ZNPP – in order to address issues related to its status – has a direct impact on nuclear safety and security and must cease.

“The only way to avert the threat of a nuclear accident with transboundary radiological consequences during this war is to fully respect and adhere to the seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security as well as the five concrete principles for the protection of the Zaporizhzhya NPP,” he said.

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Photo Highlights from the IAEA’s 68th General Conference

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

View curated photo highlights from the 68th IAEA General Conference. This key annual event brought together delegates from around the world to shape the future of nuclear science, technology and cooperation. From impactful speeches and dynamic side events to engaging exhibits and country booths, this album showcases the most notable moments from the conference. Check out the album on Flickr to see the image captions. In addition to the highlights, there are 86 more photo collections in our GC68 series, covering all the major events, which so far have been viewed more than 442,000 times. View the collection on Flickr here. Look back at the moments you were a part of or the events you may have missed, as these photos capture all the key point from the week.

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Japan’s Reports on Conditions at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, 2 October 2024

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

On 1 October 2024, Japan provided the IAEA with a copy of a report on the discharge record and the seawater monitoring results at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station during June, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent to all international Missions in Japan.

The report contains information on discharges from the subdrain and groundwater drain systems, as well as on groundwater bypassing conducted during the month of June. In both cases, in advance of the action, TEPCO analyzes the quality of the groundwater to be discharged and announces the results. These results confirm that the radiation level of sampled water are substantially below the operational targets set by TEPCO.

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IAEA to Conduct Second Extensive Sampling of Marine Environment Near Fukushima Daiichi Since Start of Treated Water Release

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

A team of scientists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will return to Japan next week to conduct marine sampling near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). This mission is part of the Agency’s extensive monitoring and assessment activities that support its ongoing safety review of the ALPS treated water discharges.

The IAEA conducts interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) based on marine environment samples to verify the radiological data used by Japan in planning and implementing the water discharges. The ILCs also facilitate assessments of the application of relevant international safety standards in establishing and implementing monitoring programmes to accurately evaluate public exposure by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) – operator of the plant – and the Government of Japan.

From 7 to 18 October, the IAEA team will observe the collection of seawater, marine sediment, fish and seaweed samples from coastal waters in the vicinity of the FDNPS. The mission will also include sampling at a local fish market and monitoring the preparation of samples for delivery to participating laboratories.

International experts from the Third Institute of Oceanography, China, the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, and the Spiez Laboratory, Switzerland—all members of the IAEA’s Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA) network – will participate in the mission to provide independent corroboration of Japan’s environmental monitoring capabilities.

After collection, the samples will be sent to all participating laboratories for analysis for a range of radionuclides. The results of analyses from the IAEA Laboratories in Monaco and Vienna, the ALMERA member laboratories as well as the participating Japanese laboratories, will be submitted to the IAEA for evaluation, with a focus on identifying any statistically significant differences.

The results of the analyses of the samples can also be compared with those from previous ILCs to assess any changes in radionuclide levels in the marine environment since the discharge of ALPS-treated water began in August last year.

The findings will be publicly released to ensure transparency by September 2025.

This mission is part of the IAEA’s extensive monitoring and assessment activities for the safety review of ALPS-treated water. In the series of ILCs, the Agency has already published several reports evaluating TEPCO’s capabilities for accurately measuring the radionuclides in the treated water stored on site, and another analyzing radionuclides in seawater, sediment, fish, and seaweed samples collected in November 2022.

Additionally, IAEA experts stationed at the Agency’s office at FDNPS conduct regular independent on-site analyses of the batches of treated water. In September this year, the Agency confirmed that the tritium level in the ninth batch of ALPS treated water was far below Japan’s operational limit. The IAEA has earlier confirmed that the tritium concentrations in the previous eight batches, totalling approximately 64 500 cubic meters of water, were also far below operational limits.

Next week’s mission will also provide samples for the Agency’s ILC project initiated in 2014 to support the quality assurance of broader marine environmental monitoring by Japanese laboratories. The results for this segment of the work will be released in June 2025.

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Update 252 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) lost the connection to its only remaining back-up power line for 36 hours this week, underlining the fragility of the electricity supplies it needs to cool its six reactors and for other essential nuclear safety and security functions, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

Tuesday morning’s disconnection of the 330 kilovolt (kV) power line once again left the ZNPP entirely dependent on its sole 750 kV line. Before the military conflict, it had four 750 kV and six 330 kV lines available, highlighting how nuclear safety and security has been severely degraded since February 2022. It was not immediately clear what caused the latest incident, but the line was restored on Wednesday evening.

The ZNPP has suffered repeated partial or complete power outages since the conflict began, representing one of the most difficult challenges for maintaining nuclear safety and security during the conflict. In total, it has lost all external power eight times, forcing it to temporarily rely on emergency diesel generators for electricity.

“The off-site power situation remains a deep source of concern. This week’s loss of the 330kV power line shows that the situation is not improving in this regard, on the contrary,” Director General Grossi said.

A day before the 330 kV line was disconnected, the IAEA team stationed at the ZNPP visited the Raduga electrical substation in the city of Enerhodar, where most plant staff live, after receiving information of an alleged artillery strike on Sunday. The team confirmed that one of the two transformers at the substation was destroyed by the shelling and that the other transformer was unavailable since June due to damage sustained on one of its power lines. The substation had been used to provide back-up power to the city of Enerhodar and to the industrial area near the ZNPP.

In addition, the ZNPP informed the IAEA team that the same shelling had damaged another power line nearby, connecting the plant to the 150 kV open switchyard of the Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant. The damage limits the availability of potential back-up power supplies to the ZNPP. Repair on the line is ongoing.

Earlier today, the team that has been at the site for the past several weeks was replaced by another group of IAEA staff. It is the 24th such team stationed at the ZNPP since Director General Grossi established an Agency presence at the site, located on the frontline, to help prevent a nuclear accident during the conflict.

During the past week, the IAEA team that has now rotated out continued to hear explosions on most days, including several blasts close to the site, although no damage to the plant was reported.

The team conducted regular walkdowns across the ZNPP, including to the 750 kV open switchyard, the main control rooms of all reactor units and some of the site’s waterworks facilities.

The IAEA teams present at the Khmelnytskyy, 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 for several days over the past week.

At the Khmelnytskyy NPP, reactor unit 1 has been reconnected to the grid after completion of a refuelling outage that began in July. The site now also has all of its off-site power lines available, after a 750 kV line was reconnected, following disruptions caused by attacks on Ukraine’s grid in late August.

Ukraine’s nuclear safety regulator informed the IAEA that on two occasions late last month – the nights of 27 and 29 September – ten and thirteen drones, respectively, flew through the area of the South Ukraine NPP, one of them directly above the site. Today, the regulator added that five drones flew through the same area early on 1 October, including one above the site.

The IAEA has continued to deliver on its comprehensive programme of assistance to help Ukraine maintain nuclear safety and security.

During the conflict, Ukraine has seen a rising incidence of rabies. In recent weeks, the IAEA has therefore facilitated deliveries of rabies vaccines to hospitals near the NPP sites, enhancing their capacity to provide plant staff with life-saving treatment for rabies.

In addition, ten gamma spectrometers were delivered to local public health centres of the Ministry of Health located in ten cities across Ukraine. The equipment will enhance their radioanalytical capabilities, particularly in view of the risk for a radiological or nuclear emergency during the conflict.

It brings to 69 the total number of deliveries of equipment and supplies since the start of the conflict, worth 12 million euro.

These latest deliveries were supported with funding provided by Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea and the United States.

Separately this week, Director General Grossi travelled to Belarus, meeting President Alexander Lukashenko in the capital Minsk and visiting the country’s NPP in Ostrovets. On this occasion, the President confirmed to Director General Grossi that no action originating from Belarus would compromise nuclear safety or security at the Chornobyl NPP.

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IAEA Helps Burundi Ensure Food Security with Healthy Cattle

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Burundi is using artificial insemination to produce calves that will have greater capacity for milk production. (Photo: C. Nkundwanayo/National Veterinary Laboratory)

Burundi is preventing disease outbreaks in livestock and breeding hardier cattle capable of greater milk production with the support of the IAEA. Staff trained by the IAEA at fully equipped national laboratories in Burundi are now using nuclear and related techniques to process significantly more artificial insemination and diagnostic samples, helping to ensure healthy and high-producing livestock. 

Burundi’s livestock population is at risk from animal and zoonotic diseases, such as foot and mouth disease, East Coast fever and bovine tuberculosis. The IAEA through its joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture has upgraded equipment at the National Veterinary Laboratory and the National Center for Artificial Insemination (NCAIGI) in Burundi and trained the national staff at NCAIGI to diagnose animal diseases using PCR tests. The National Veterinary Laboratory is now able to process 10 000 pathogen samples each year – more than a threefold increase from its previous capacity.  

This autumn, five IAEA fellows from Burundi are learning techniques related to transboundary animal diseases at institutions in Kenya, Malawi and Tunisia. By detecting contagious animal diseases early on, scientists can help to prevent the spread of outbreaks that affect large numbers of cattle. With IAEA support, trained laboratory staff detected a Rift Valley fever outbreak in Burundi in December 2021. More than 900 clinical cases were identified, with 560 cattle reported dead. Laboratory technicians were able to diagnose the disease accurately, which enabled decision makers to limit the spread of Rift Valley fever through monitoring and the vaccination of more than 700 000 cattle. 

“Before I was trained, I could not provide reliable results. With the new knowledge, I feel empowered, and it is much easier for me to perform advanced testing. Farmers are now bringing their samples to check for various diseases, such as brucellosis, when they are planning to sell animals, and it adds value to the price when it turns out to be a negative result. For animal movement purposes, we are getting more than 500 samples per month from various development partners, and we conduct analyses for priority diseases,” explained Mbazumutima Magnifique, a laboratory technician at the National Veterinary Laboratory. 

Breeding from bulls with superior genetic qualities has boosted milk production in Burundi. (Photo: C. Nkundwanayo/National Veterinary Laboratory)

By building capacity in artificial insemination services in Burundi, the IAEA has helped farmers to breed dairy cows with higher genetic merit for milk production and adaptability to the environment. Bulls with superior genetic qualities are identified and selected for breeding purposes. Breeding from these bulls can increase daily average milk production in the resulting offspring from 1.4 litres to 1.8 – 6.5 litres, according to a study by the University of Burundi.  

“The livestock sector is a pillar of the food system in Burundi and a significant contributor to poverty reduction, food security and agricultural development. Since 2018, through the support of the IAEA technical cooperation programme, Burundi has developed its capacity significantly in animal disease diagnosis and artificial insemination, which has contributed to the improvement of the livestock sector,” said Shaukat Abdulrazak, Director of the IAEA Department of Technical Cooperation’s Division for Africa. 

Thanks to IAEA training at the NCAIGI, there are now many qualified artificial insemination practitioners, who are now providing their services to an estimated 25 000 farmers. In 2022, the number of inseminations conducted was 15 764 – nearly double from that of 2021. These improved services resulted in the births of 3697 calves, helping to increase milk production to reach national needs. 

Following initial IAEA support, Burundi has begun sharing its knowledge with neighbouring countries. The National Veterinary Laboratory is using its expertise to train staff from the Democratic Republic of Congo and now receives more than 40 students each year. 

This article covers one of the many topics that will be discussed during the 2024 Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science, Technology and Applications and the Technical Cooperation Programme. For more information about this conference, please go here.