Category: Nuclear Energy

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The IAEA’s Commitment to Transforming Lives through Inclusive Education

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

A teacher reviews a list co-created by a special needs student and his mentor, exploring the safety of irradiated foods and fostering a deeper understanding of nuclear science and technology. (Photo: SANZAC Secondary School, Malaysia)

The project integrates empowerment and enablement strategies, setting a benchmark for inclusive STEM education. Suriani Sani, a parent whose child participated in the programme, said, “The hands-on learning experiences in the nuclear science and technology programme have been invaluable. Our child has developed practical skills and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.”

Speaking of their experience in the classroom, a student said, “Learning about nuclear science and technology is so much fun! The hands-on experiments and interactive lessons make me excited to come to class every day.”

A key initiative which falls under the aegis of the scheme is the NST-STEMclusive Project, which is centred around special needs STEM students. This project strives to create a learning environment that ensures no student is left behind. In particular, the project focuses on the development of diverse learning materials, tailored to the diverse needs of special needs students. The NST-STEMclusive Project invests in creating adaptable and accommodating materials, ensuring meaningful engagement with the curriculum for every student.

Vui Ket said, “This project acknowledges the unique strengths and potential of special needs students in STEM fields, seeking to unlock their talents and foster their interest in nuclear science.”

The IAEA has been at the forefront of supporting professional training in NST education through various technical cooperation projects, aiming to overcome resource limitations, workforce challenges, and conflicting demands that impact learning and facilitation, particularly in the field of NST.

The IAEA’s engagement symbolizes a commitment to dismantle barriers and create a future where diversity is not only acknowledged but seamlessly integrated into the fabric of education.

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IAEA Mission Says Belgium Committed to the Safe Management of Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel, Encourages Further Development of National Waste Policies

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts found that Belgium demonstrates commitment to the safe management of its radioactive waste and spent fuel, while also noting opportunities to enhance the national policies and arrangements for eventual disposal.

The Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (ARTEMIS) team this week concluded an eleven-day mission to Belgium. The mission was carried out from 3 to 13 December at the request of Belgium and hosted by ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Belgian National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Material management.

Belgium manages high-level waste from the five nuclear reactors in operation today in the Doel and Tihange nuclear power plants (NPPs) which provided in 2022 roughly 47,3 per cent of the country’s electricity. Waste is also managed from the additional two reactors which have been permanently shut down. Belgium delayed plans to close its nuclear reactors by 2025 and reached a Government agreement with Engie – operator of the two NPPs – to extend operation of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors to 2035 and address the transfer of nuclear waste liabilities to the Federal Government.

Low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste is generated from the production and use of radiation sources in medical and industrial applications, as well as in science and research activities such as at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN). Waste is also generated from the decommissioning of research reactors such as BR2 and BR3 and the decommissioning of industrial facilities that covered almost all activities in the nuclear fuel cycle, including the Eurochemic pilot reprocessing plant, Belgonucléaire mixed-oxide fuel (MOX) fabrication facility and the FBFC International UO2 fuel fabrication facility.

Radioactive waste and spent fuel in Belgium are managed by the ONDRAF/NIRAS after acceptance. The Belgian National Programme for the Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste, adopted in October 2015, comprises a national strategy for the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. It is expected that Belgium will publish an update of the National Programme in due time after the ARTEMIS mission and the finalization of the intermediate Government agreement with Engie to extend the life of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors.

ARTEMIS missions provide independent expert advice from an international team of specialists convened by the IAEA to support a country with the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel. Reviews are based on the IAEA Safety Standards and technical guidance as well as international good practices. Results from the IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission to Belgium, conducted in June 2023, were taken into account by the ARTEMIS team during its review, where relevant.

The team was comprised of seven experts from Austria, Finland, France, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as three IAEA staff members. The team met with officials from the ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC), the SCK CEN, the Directorate-General for Energy, Synatom – the organization in charge of the management of the fuel cycle of Belgian nuclear power plants – and the Commission for Nuclear Provisions (CNP). One expert from the European Commission was invited to observe the mission.

The ARTEMIS team said that Belgium has established a robust national infrastructure for the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel and the implementation of decommissioning and remediation activities over the last decades. It found that ONDRAF/NIRAS demonstrates strong commitment to the long-term management of high-level and long-lived waste and spent fuel. This includes management of waste from historical radium production, spent fuel management options and the establishment of geological disposal plans for the preparation of a deep geological repository that will require continuing research and development activities and wide public consultations.

“The team saw that the responsible organizations in Belgium are strongly committed to the radioactive waste and spent fuel management. They have put in place a waste management system that is well adapted to the current situation and are preparing to take the necessary measures until the end of the life cycle of their nuclear facilities,” said the ARTEMIS team leader, Jussi Heinonen, Director at the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) in Finland. “Further progress is still needed in the comprehensive coverage of national policies guiding the implementation of the programme.”

The ARTEMIS Review Team identified good practices in the Belgian approach towards centralized management of all radioactive waste by Belgoprocess (a subsidiary of ONDRAF/NIRAS) contributing to the minimization of radioactive waste, as well as in the approach for remediation of the former Olen radium and uranium production site leading to waste minimization.

The challenges identified by the team to be addressed by Belgium in waste management include the need for consolidated policies for specific waste streams such as radium-bearing waste and spent fuel, and decision making on the geological repository. The team said the provision of adequate financial and human resources will be crucial to ensure timely implementation of such policies.

The main recommendations and suggestions provided by the Team included:

  • The Government should formulate well-defined national policies on spent fuel management options and the management of radioactive waste from radium production.
  • The Government should ensure that waste streams that are non-conforming – those requiring further processing – or have no clear end point should be included in the National Programme with proposed management options.
  • The Government should establish a comprehensive geological disposal policy for the management of high-level waste and spent fuel and complete the process of establishing safety requirements and a licensing scheme specific to disposal facilities.
  • ONDRAF/NIRAS should focus main resources on solutions that are technically feasible and internationally acknowledged for the long-term management of high-level waste and spent fuel of the Belgian inventory.
  • The Government should consider enhancing the harmonization and justification of financial parameters to be used by all actors in the management of radioactive waste.

Hildegarde Vandenhove, IAEA Director of the Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety, speaking at the closing session on 13 December, said she was confident that recommended improvements related to the safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, such as to enhance the national policies and arrangements for eventual disposal, will be considered and implemented by the respective stakeholder.

“Belgium values the review and its outcomes in the current framework of our national programme where we have on the one hand significant recent evolutions and progress, in particular concerning the license for a surface disposal facility, the decision-in-principle for deep geological disposal as well as the launching of the project for radium-bearing waste, said Marc Demarche, Director General of ONDRAF/NIRAS. “But we are also facing important and difficult challenges for continued progress, in particular about the operationalization of the low-level waste repository or the pursuit of the deep disposal project”.

The final mission report will be provided to the Government in two months.

About ARTEMIS

ARTEMIS is an integrated expert review service for radioactive waste and spent fuel management, decommissioning and remediation programmes. This service is intended for facility operators and organizations responsible for radioactive waste management, as well as for regulators, national policy makers and other decision makers.

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. Additional IAEA documents such as Nuclear Energy Series publications can be included in the review basis. They include practical examples to be used by owners and operators of utilities, implementing organizations, academia, and government officials in Member States, among others.

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Update 202 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been re-connected to its only remaining back-up power line after it was suddenly lost two weeks ago, but the site’s overall supply of off-site electricity remains fragile and vulnerable to further disruptions, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

During the military conflict, frequent power cuts have remained a source of serious concern for safety and security at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP) as it needs electricity to cool its reactors and for other essential functions, even when all units have been shut down.

Earlier this month, the ZNPP suffered its eighth complete loss of external electricity in less than 18 months, caused by grid events outside the plant itself. Since 2 December, it has depended on a single 750 kilovolt (kV) line, until the back-up 330 kV line could be repaired and restored this week. Before the conflict, the ZNPP had four 750 kV lines available as well as several back-up options.

“Since yesterday, the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant once again has two alternative sources of external electricity. But we know only too well just how risky the power situation continues to be. Unfortunately, we can’t rule out more external power blackouts as long as this war continues,” Director General Grossi said.

Further underlining the potential dangers facing the plant, the IAEA experts at the site have continued to hear explosions relatively close to the plant, indicating ongoing military activities in the region where it is located.

Over the past week, the IAEA team has continued to conduct regular walkdowns, including to the plant’s temporary emergency response centre, dry spent fuel storage area, and the reactor building of unit 5 as well as to the main control rooms of all six reactors, one after the other.

On Tuesday, the ZNPP conducted an emergency communication drill, involving on-site and off-site representatives from different Russian organisations. The IAEA experts observed part of the drill. It was the latest in a series of emergency exercises conducted at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, including at the ZNPP last month.

The IAEA team at the ZNPP again this week requested access to the 330 kV switchyard at the nearby thermal power plant to assess the situation regarding external back-up electrical connections there. As per previous requests, they were not granted such access this time either.

However, the IAEA team was informed that they will be able to access the reactor rooftops in the coming days. The IAEA has previously been given access to three of the reactor roofs – of units 2, 3 and 4 – but not the others. Last week, the experts were granted partial access to the turbine halls of all six reactor units.

The IAEA team is continuing to pay close attention to maintenance activities at the site, including actions taken by the ZNPP following last month’s detection of boron in the secondary circuit of a steam generator of unit 5. The IAEA experts were recently informed that the boron concentration levels in the secondary circuits of all the plant’s 24 steam generators were within the established limits, and that no further action would be taken at this time.

Of the site’s six reactors, five remain in cold shutdown, while unit 4 is in hot shutdown to produce steam and heat, including for the nearby town of Enerhodar, where most plant staff live. The ZNPP has informed the IAEA that there are currently no plans to return unit 5 to hot shut down. Additional heating is provided by mobile diesel boilers installed at the ZNPP together with boilers located in the nearby industrial zone and in Enerhodar.

The IAEA teams of experts present at Ukraine’s Rivne, Khmelnitsky, South Ukraine NPPs and the Chornobyl site continue to report that nuclear safety and security is being maintained despite the challenging circumstances.

However, the IAEA teams at the Rivne and Khmelnitsky NPPs reported earlier this week that the mobile phone network had occasionally been disrupted in recent days. The teams were informed that the cause was a cyber attack on Ukraine’s communications network that affected most of the country. The IAEA experts were still able to carry out their work and communicate with headquarters in Vienna. Communications were also maintained between the NPPs, the national nuclear operator Energoatom and the state nuclear regulatory body. 

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Symposium on International Safeguards Report: Insights to Enhance Global Nuclear Verification

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

A new report, drawing on insights from past and present international nuclear safeguards, highlights milestones in IAEA safeguards, details ideas for action and showcases voices of the future to help strengthen nuclear verification worldwide. The report presents the outcomes of a week-long ‘Symposium on International Safeguards: Reflecting on the Past and Anticipating the Future’, held at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna in 2022. The Symposium provided a forum for nearly one thousand participants to identify challenges and opportunities in safeguards, cultivate partnerships and showcase research and ideas in support of the verification of the peaceful use of nuclear material.

“At the Symposium on International Safeguards, we brought together nuclear verification stakeholders from around the world to identify the challenges we face, as well as the innovations that can enable our collective success,” said Massimo Aparo, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Safeguards. “This report offers ideas for the safeguards community’s consideration. Our challenge now is to work together to move the most promising ideas forward and translate them into action. This is one of the ways we can continue to tackle the ever-changing demands on the IAEA safeguards system.”

The IAEA’s quadrennial Safeguards Symposium brought together State regulatory authorities, the research and development community, industry leaders, and civil society representatives during its five-day programme. The report reflects the thematic discussions from the Symposium, which also commemorated 60 years of IAEA safeguards inspections, 50 years of comprehensive safeguards agreements, and 25 years of additional protocols.

The symposium covered a variety of topics under three main objectives: reflect, anticipate, and inspire. Based on these objectives, several “ideas for action” were proposed. Categorized into six thematic areas, the ideas for action are intended for the consideration and engagement of the global safeguards community. The new report also reviews the progress made in implementing the previous ideas for action that emerged from the 2018 Safeguards Symposium.

“The insights and ideas for action contained within this report are a reflection of the aggregate experience and wisdom of the symposium presenters and other participants”, said Jenni Rissanen, Scientific Secretary to the Symposium and Team Leader of the Strategic Planning Team in the IAEA Department of Safeguards. A total of 124 countries were represented among the participants, 34 more than in 2018. Women constituted 38 per cent of attendees and observers, and 60 per cent of session chairs and moderators. In addition, dedicated forums provided a voice for the next generation of experts and leaders. “Improving the diversity of the geographical, gender and generational representation of our speakers and participants was a major goal for us at the Safeguards Symposium in 2022,” said Rissanen.

Those interested in finding out more about the Symposium can visit the online repository, containing the papers, posters and video recordings of the sessions.

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IAEA Director General Visit Highlights Saudi Arabia’s Dynamic Nuclear Power Preparations

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The Director General also visited the Low Power Research Reactor at the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST). The reactor, which is not yet in operation, will provide technical experience and training opportunities for nuclear scientists and engineers. Mr Grossi underlined the essential role of this facility – the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia — in preparing for the nuclear power programme.

“Saudi Arabia is at the doorsteps of nuclear operation starting with the research reactor and later with bigger facilities,” Mr Grossi said.” The workforce here, the professionals, the women and men that work in the Saudi nuclear sector are perfectly prepared to look toward this new chapter in the life of the Kingdom.”

Saudi Arabia has sought the IAEA’s advice and invited multiple IAEA review and advisory missions on nuclear safety and nuclear power programme development.

“We have a programme of certain milestones that need to be followed and all of this is being applied here,” Mr Grossi said. “When the time comes, you will know that this was done in a very systematic, orderly way. I am very satisfied.”

The country recently announced it will rescind its small quantities protocol for countries with little to no nuclear material and facilities.

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Nuclear Energy Makes History as Final COP28 Agreement Calls for Faster Deployment

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The IAEA Statement on Nuclear Power, released on 1 December at COP28 and supported by dozens of countries, called for active recognition and support for the energy technology. “Resilient and robust nuclear power has the potential to play a wider role in the quest towards net zero carbon emissions, while ensuring the highest level of nuclear safety and security,” statement said.

The IAEA’s annual nuclear power outlook high case projection sees installed nuclear capacity more than doubling to 890 gigawatts by 2050, compared to 369 gigawatts today. This represents an almost 25% increase from the Agency’s estimate in 2020, with its projections revised up for a third consecutive year.  

However, several challenges need to be addressed if nuclear power is to fulfil its potential in helping the world get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century. These include rising interest rates and commodity prices, the need for a level financial and policy playing field as well as greater regulatory harmonization and industrial standardization, a topic on which the IAEA’s Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative (NHSI) is advancing global efforts.

The declaration made by more than 20 countries at COP28 on tripling nuclear capacity invited the World Bank, regional development banks and international financial institutions to include nuclear in their lending policies, while underscoring the need for secure supply chains to ramp up deployment of the technology.

In recent years, nuclear power has been included in several national or regional taxonomies on what qualifies as a sustainable investment. However, such moves so far have not influenced the lending principles and policies of banks, including multilateral banks, although some private investment funds appear to be changing their approach. “Achieving a fair and enabling investment environment for new nuclear projects remains an uphill battle,” Mr Grossi said. “We are not at a level playing field, yet, when it comes to financing nuclear projects.”

At COP28, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, French President Emmanuel Macron and Mr Grossi announced that the world’s first Nuclear Energy Summit will be held in Brussels in March 2024 to build on the global momentum behind nuclear power. Around 30 countries are expected to participate in the Summit along with industry leaders, experts and representatives from civil society.

In addition, the Summit will showcase the IAEA’s Atom4NetZero initiative, which  provides decision makers with comprehensive, data-driven energy scenario modelling that also includes the full potential of nuclear power in contributing to net zero emissions. Such studies will be vital to make a credible technical case for governments and investors to support new nuclear projects, Mr Grossi said.

“Today we celebrate the real progress that nuclear power has made in the global climate and energy debate,” the IAEA Director General said. “But we must tackle several challenges if we are to succeed. The Nuclear Energy Summit is the next major event where the world will come together to discuss how we can forge real solutions, so that the lofty pledges made at COP28 can become reality.”

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New IAEA-KISR Ocean Health Project to Help Fill Gaps in Ocean Data

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The climate crisis has led to growing concern about the effects of a warmer and more acidic ocean on marine life and the people who depend on it. A new project launched on the margins of COP28 by the IAEA and the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) aims to contribute to ocean health by helping to fill the gaps in our knowledge of marine ecosystems.

“Without reliable data, we would not be able to understand marine environments,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at the COP28 side event. “The IAEA is putting all its scientific apparatus to use for the protection of our planet. I welcome that and I am so pleased to work with KISR.”

The project will make use of KISR’s new state-of-the-art research vessel, ‘AlMostakshif’ (‘The Explorer’). The ship is aptly named, as it will venture out onto the high seas to conduct new research on ocean acidification and marine pollution. KISR is already a longstanding partner of the IAEA and acts as a hub in the region for marine environment studies, providing its unique expertise in areas related to water, sediment and ocean organisms.

“The ship is ready, and we are looking to introduce a number of activities with the IAEA and partners in the region to try to address the major issues that impact the region and the world as a whole. We hope this will have an impact on the population, on the future generation to come and the livelihoods of the people living on this planet,” said Sameer Al-Zenki, Executive Director of the KISR Environment and Life Sciences Centre.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director Inger Anderson and Executive Secretary of the  United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Vladimir Ryabinin both spoke at the event. They highlighted the damaging impact of pollution and other harmful human activities on the ocean and the importance of accurate monitoring to creating sustainable ocean ecosystems.

The IAEA-KISR ocean health project will further efforts by the IAEA and KISR to train marine scientists to collect and analyse marine samples using nuclear techniques.

By expanding the knowledge of marine ecosystems, scientists can better understand the effects of climate change and provide accurate data that can be used in climate change policymaking.

Peter Thomson, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, praised the project, noting that it would fill a research void. He stressed that, “without a healthy ocean we do not have a healthy planet, and we cannot survive,” drawing attention to the urgency of marine research efforts.

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IAEA Reveals Winner of ‘Atoms For Peace’ Essay Competition

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Some 200 young writers from around the world submitted essays and speeches for the IAEA’s Atoms for Peace and Development Essay Competition. The competition was launched to commemorate the 70th anniversary of US President Dwight D Eisenhower’s ‘Atoms for Peace’ speech delivered on 8 December 1953 to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It was this speech that  laid the foundation for the establishment of the IAEA in 1957.

The winner is 20-year-old Nela Gawrychowska, who took inspiration from the words of Eisenhower and two-time Nobel prize-winner Marie Skłodowska-Curie to outline her thoughts on fusion energy, writing that it could become “a potential catalyst for a sustainable, prosperous, and inclusive future”.

An honourable mention goes to 20-year-old Mahek Arora, who wrote about the role of nuclear science and technology and its potential to “foster peace, prosperity and cooperation on a global scale”.  

Writers who decided to enter the competition, open to anyone aged 18-24, were encouraged to take inspiration from Eisenhower’s vision and posit ways the IAEA and the international community could address today’s biggest challenges within the mission of “Atoms for Peace and Development”.

The essays submitted were informed by numerous aspects of the IAEA’s work, from safeguards to supporting low-carbon nuclear energy. The most original essays also came up with ways peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology could play an even greater part in promoting peace, climate change mitigation and adaptation, health, and food and energy security.

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IAEA and OPEC Fund to Strengthen Cooperation in Climate Adaptation

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) have formally agreed to strengthen joint efforts in the area of nuclear science and technology for climate adaption and mitigation.

On the margins of this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and OPEC Fund Director General Abdulhamid Alkhalifa signed Practical Arrangements on Cooperation in the Area of Climate Adaptation to enhance collaborative efforts by both entities to develop and implement joint projects on climate adaptation.

Under the framework of the agreement, the OPEC Fund will support the establishment of a global seed bank to collect, store, and preserve seeds that have characteristics that can withstand new climate conditions, including seeds developed through application of nuclear techniques for plant breeding and soil and water management. The IAEA provides expertise and assistance in the application of nuclear techniques in these areas supporting climate-smart agriculture. By using nuclear techniques, such as plant mutation breeding, scientists can accelerate the natural evolution of plants using irradiation of seeds to help create new varieties with desirable traits adapted to climate change. Seed banks ensure these new varieties can be used in areas where crops are battling the effects of climate change throughout the globe.

The IAEA and the OPEC Fund have been collaborating since 1989, and the OPEC Fund has already provided more than 2.4 million dollars to IAEA activities in the fields of health and agriculture. Most recently, the IAEA worked with the OPEC Fund in 2018 to help improve rice harvests in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Nepal, and to help prevent the spread of animal diseases through capacity building in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam.

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Repurposing Coal Power Plant Sites with Low Carbon Nuclear

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

As coal consumption continues to rise worldwide despite global efforts to slash greenhouse gas emissions, several countries are eyeing a strategy for using advanced nuclear power including small modular reactors (SMRs) to reduce reliance on the most polluting fossil fuel. At an event today at the IAEA’s Atoms4Climate pavilion, speakers from Canada, Romania and the United States shared their experience and plans repurposing former coal sites for nuclear power—and thereby ensuring a just energy transition by reaping the economic and environmental benefits of switching to this clean and reliable technology.

The Canadian province of Ontario is one of the world’s leading examples of how replacing coal with nuclear can decarbonize electricity production and clean up local air pollution, and was highlighted in the book A Bright Future. The last coal fired electricity plant in Ontario was mothballed in 2014 and replaced with refurbished nuclear reactors that had previously been shut down. The results: electricity generation in Ontario produces about 25 grams of CO2 per kWh, well under levels consistent with the objectives of the Paris Agreement (50 grams), compared with 230 grams of CO2 per kWh previously.

The effort also cleaned up local air pollution. “We turned the sky from orange to blue in a matter of 15 years. How? With renewables as well, but largely on the back of nuclear production,” Pat Dalzell, Executive Director of Corporate Affairs for Bruce Power, which operates the province’s eight nuclear reactors, said at the IAEA event. “Now when you look up at the sky on a hot summer day in Toronto, the sky is blue,” he said, adding that nuclear power facilities in the province account for some 22,000 jobs, with another 5,000 expected to be created when the operating lifetime of existing reactors are extended for several more years.

Coal provides more than one third of the world’s electricity and is responsible for the largest share of CO2 emissions from the energy sector, making its phase-out key to tackling climate change. In both Romania and the United States, there are plans for nuclear power to replace coal as a low carbon primary energy source that provides 24/7 supply security.

Supply chains are also similar for coal and nuclear plants, meaning jobs can be preserved, and some of the existing infrastructure can continue to be repurposed for the nuclear plant. But challenges also need to be addressed related to decontaminating coal sites, and meeting the requirements for nuclear safety and nuclear waste disposal, among other examples.

In Romania, a site in Doicesti that currently hosts a coal plant has been identified as the preferred location for the country’s first SMR deployment. “We are lucky to have a very high percentage of public acceptance (of nuclear power), but we have never been complacent and always worked hard to show that the community is important to us,” Ana Birchall of state nuclear power corporation S.N. Nuclearelectrica said at the event.

In the US, a location in the state of Wyoming near the coal-fired Naughton power plant, which is due to retire in 2025, has been selected as the preferred site for a sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. “Displaced coal workers will be able to find employment at the nuclear facility, and the nuclear facility will also be able to employ more people than the coal facility,” said Jason Hansen, a Senior Economist at Idaho National Laboratory.