Category: Nuclear Energy

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

To forge credible pathways to net zero, policy makers need comprehensive, science-based data to make informed choices about their national energy future. Yet nuclear power, despite its proven role in mitigating climate change and enhancing energy security and sustainable development, currently has a limited role in energy scenario studies used by governments and investors to chart the transition to net zero.

The IAEA’s Atoms4NetZero initiative bridges that gap by providing decision makers with comprehensive, data-driven energy scenario modelling that also includes the full potential of nuclear power in contributing to net zero emissions. Launched by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at COP27 last year, Atoms4NetZero was showcased at a side event last month during the 67th IAEA General Conference in Vienna that featured speakers from Africa, Asia, Europe and North America.

“Atoms4NetZero supports countries towards our goal, which is harnessing the power of nuclear energy to achieve net zero carbon emissions and energy security,” Mr Grossi said in a video address that opened the side event.  

The initiative will be a featured topic at the IAEA’s 2nd International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power: Atoms4NetZero, in Vienna next week. See the conference programme, and register to virtually attend.

“Energy modelling scenarios that are considered within the framework of Atoms4NetZero are important because, in Africa especially, we are facing a serious energy deficit situation, and our policy makers are looking at different options,” Enobot Agboraw, Executive Secretary of the African Commission on Nuclear Energy (AFCONE), said at the side event. “They’re looking at nuclear power; they’re looking at renewables, and it is very important that they are properly informed in order to be able to make the best possible decisions. Energy modelling provides, scientifically based evidence so that they can make decisions that are not based on hearsay or emotion, but solid decisions that would enable us to address this issue of climate change and energy deficit.”

Thirty-one countries currently have nuclear power, and some 30 others are considering or embarking on its introduction. Almost half of these so-called nuclear newcomers are in Africa including Egypt, which has already started building its first nuclear power plant. The IAEA works with newcomers in supporting their development of the necessary infrastructure for a safe, secure and sustainable nuclear power programme.

Modelling scenarios incorporate real constraints countries face as they seek to build energy systems to meet their net zero objectives, according to Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary, Office of Nuclear Energy at the US Department of Energy. Constraints may come in the form of a lack of electricity transmission lines or the power system’s inability to match hour to hour supply and demand. Policy makers need modelling scenarios to accurately determine the type, quantity, scale, location and types of energy sources. “Decisions at the policy level absolutely have to be data informed,” Huff said.

Atoms4NetZero will also help assess the potential contribution of advanced nuclear reactors, including small modular reactors (SMRs), to long term national energy strategies. This includes nuclear energy to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors beyond electricity such as industry and transportation, which make up almost 60 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions. The initiative will develop credible scenarios by using IAEA analytical tools such as MESSAGE, or Model for Energy Supply System Alternatives.

“We’re really excited to see the Atoms4NetZero initiative move forward,” added Huff. “We think there are going to be a lot of very interesting results to come out of that, which is important for a lot of nations.”

There are currently 58 nuclear power reactors totalling some 60 GW(e) in installed capacity under construction in 17 countries, with more than one third of them in China, the world’s leading reactor builder. Global nuclear power capacity needs to more than double by 2050 to meet net zero goals, according to International Energy Agency. Other organizations, such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, have pointed to the need for an even greater increase in nuclear.

“Atoms4NetZero emissions of carbon is very important for the future,” said Zheng Mingguang, President of the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute, which is the nuclear technology innovation and project construction platform of China’s State Power Investment Corporation. “Nuclear power could do more work in this area as nuclear technology is proven and the nuclear power competence is there, and the complete supply system of equipment and materials is also established.”

In Italy, which abandoned nuclear power in the late 1980s, the current government recently set up a task force to examine how new nuclear technologies such as SMRs, which offer greater flexibility for working with intermittent renewables, can help decarbonize the country’s energy system. Carbon dioxide emissions from Italian electricity production are currently around 265 grams per kWh, almost seven times higher than the targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

“In the coming months, we will be engaged to develop some specific scenarios where we have to see the added value of nuclear energy for a country where there is, of course, and there will be a deeper and deeper penetration of renewables,” said Stefano Monti, President of the Italian Nuclear Association. “One of the tasks, also using the energy modelling offered by Atoms4NetZero, is to look at how to integrate nuclear with renewables.”

Beyond energy modelling for net zero, Atoms4NetZero encompasses several other areas of activity to support countries in their clean energy transition. These include expert missions to support long term energy strategy development, workshops and training for capacity building, as well as outreach and stakeholder engagement.

“Until now, energy modelling for net zero has mostly excluded nuclear power, even though it provides around a quarter of all low carbon electricity,” said Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy. “But now countries have a new tool to provide the full picture of the possible pathways to achieving our climate goals: Atoms4NetZero.”

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Marine and coastal ecosystems play a critical role in the health of the ocean and the planet, but their delicate balance must be maintained. One of the major threats to this balance comes from oil spills, which can have devastating impacts on these ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

When faced with oil spills, countries need as many tools and as much information as possible to help mitigate the environmental impacts, identify the source of spills and evaluate seafood for contamination from toxic substances. Using nuclear and isotopic techniques, the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco support them in achieving these goals.

“Each oil spill is different and requires unique sets of questions to be asked,” said Philippe Bersuder, Head of Marine Environmental Studies Laboratory at the IAEA. “Using nuclear and isotopic techniques to accurately measure and trace oil spills, we provide countries with the tools they need to mitigate the damage and assess the risk to human health.”

Crude oils consist of complex mixtures of hydrocarbons and other substances, and they vary depending on geographical origin and producer. The complexity of these mixtures provides an identifying “fingerprint” that can be used to trace oils spilled into the marine environment to the source of the pollution – which is critical to post-spill mitigation.

When marine oil spills do occur, IAEA scientists use equipment such as gas-chromatography mass-spectrometers to identify the chemical makeup of oil samples. “We use these fingerprinting techniques to determine the origin of the spilled oil, which can provide countries with scientific evidence needed to help identify responsible parties and develop long term monitoring strategies,” said IAEA research scientist Imma Tolosa. Through the IAEA’s technical cooperation programme, the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories also build capacity in countries affected by oil spills and provide national environmental scientists with equipment to conduct analyses, as well as reference materials for laboratory quality assurance purposes.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

With support from the IAEA Platform on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and their Applications, Jordan is making strides towards the introduction of nuclear power to produce both electricity and drinking water. Jordan recently benefited from an IAEA expert mission on SMRs for electricity and potable water production, after previously hosting an IAEA workshop on nuclear desalination.

Jordan, 75 per cent of which is covered by desert, has scarce water resources—and demand is rising. Powered by an SMR, Jordan’s envisaged desalinisation plant would produce fresh water from the Red Sea for delivery to the 4 million residents of Amman, the fast-growing capital.

The expert review mission, held at the Agency’s Vienna headquarters in August 2023, comprised 18 IAEA and three external experts who evaluated Jordan’s studies to support decision making on deploying SMRs. Areas covered by the review included nuclear power technology and safety, siting and licensing, nuclear desalination, nuclear law and stakeholder engagement, among others.

“This endeavor exemplified an Agency-wide collaborative effort that addressed all aspects of the feasibility study, providing essential guidance on IAEA services that Jordan could benefit from in enhancing the assessment and progress of our SMR project,” said Khalid Khasawneh, Commissioner for Nuclear Power Reactors at the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC).

Jordan is one of a growing number of countries that have expressed interest in SMRs. To better assist countries, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi established the SMR Platform in 2021 to provide coordinated, Agency-wide support on all aspects of SMR development, deployment and oversight. Countries interested in requesting support can contact the SMR Platform.

“In many ways, Jordan’s interest helps to explain why small modular reactors and their applications are of such intense interest around the world right now,” said Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy. A fraction the size of conventional reactors, “SMRs offer not only lower upfront costs, but greater flexibility for a variety of users and applications and are set to play an important role in helping to ensure energy security as well as supporting the clean energy transition,” Chudakov said.

SMRs’ variable output and flexibility makes them good partners for intermittent renewables, as well as non-electrical applications such as desalination, process heat for industry and hydrogen production. Crucially for Jordan, some SMR designs do not use water for cooling, unlike conventional reactors.

Per capita, Jordan has some of the smallest available water resources in the world. The country has a relatively young demographic, and the pressure on its water resources has been exacerbated in recent decades by an influx of refugees. The proposed long term solution is the desalinisation of sea and brackish water – a technique used in similar situations elsewhere in the world.

Jordan is considering using an SMR to provide the electricity to operate the reverse osmosis desalination plant as well as to pump an estimated 300 million cubic meters of drinking water each year from the Red Sea coast to Amman, about 400 kilometres away and 700 meters above sea level. The decarbonized and continuous supply of electricity needed for such tasks highlight how nuclear energy can be one of the most effective solutions to the challenge facing Jordan, one of the first countries considering using a nuclear reactor exclusively for desalination needs, according to the IAEA’s Francesco Ganda, who led the expert mission.

The mission reviewed whether reports submitted by JAEC include all the necessary information to support the decision making for deploying an SMR for power generation and desalination. It also suggested areas where the work could be expanded or improved. The mission followed an IAEA workshop last year in Amman, which explored the technologies and requirements for nuclear desalination.

“Both this expert mission and the workshop are prime examples of the kind of support that the IAEA can provide to countries through the SMR Platform,” said Dohee Hahn, Coordinator of the IAEA SMR Platform. “In particular, newcomer countries looking to add nuclear power to their energy mix stand to benefit from the full range of Agency services accessible through the SMR Platform.”

The expert mission, which found Jordan’s reports provide a good basis for a feasibility study, also had suggestions for further development. These included conducting a study on the selection of the nuclear unit size while taking into account the need to strengthen electrical connections to the nodal points of the grid and to neighbouring countries; and exploring potential alternative fuel suppliers.

“The IAEA support for Jordan’s nuclear program, particularly the SMR project, is highly valued and plays a pivotal role in enhancing our capabilities and advancing our endeavors,” Khasawneh said. “We eagerly anticipate continued collaboration with the IAEA across all aspects of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.”

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The journey of the IAEA Safety Standards publications was showcased at a side event on 26 September, during the 67th General Conference. This event marked 65 years of the publications that serve as the global reference for national nuclear regulatory authorities to help protect people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.

Margaret Doane, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Management, facilitated a panel discussion that explored past and present safety standards from various perspectives. “Multilingual publication has enabled countries to make the IAEA Safety Standards the cornerstone of global nuclear safety and advancements in communication, including milestones in digital access and content has now a multiplier effect,” she said, adding that “‘Safety Series No. 1 – Safe Handling of Radioisotopes’ was the IAEA’s very first publication, which dates back to 1958, released a year after the Agency was established.”

Today, the IAEA Safety Standards comprise a series of publications developed through international consensus, which cover a range of requirements for the safe and peaceful use of nuclear science and technology. They serve as a technical basis for the IAEA to carry out its safety review missions and for countries to report on their national obligations as parties to multiple safety conventions.

 “The IAEA Safety Standards are flagship publications for the Agency, due to the IAEA mandate and the unique history of their development,” said Lydie Evrard, Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, who participated in the event. Highlighting how the IAEA Statute authorizes the Agency to establish and adopt safety standards, she explained their role in international cooperation activities and, in particular, advisory service and peer review missions. “Safety standards are the reference documents for all IAEA activities conducted to support the strengthening of nuclear and radiation safety infrastructures throughout the world,” she added.

Over the decades, shaped by research and the growing peaceful uses of the atom, a growing number of safety considerations and concepts have been incorporated in the Standards to reflect best practices in the safe use of nuclear science and technology. As the content and format of the Safety Standards have evolved, in parallel, the development and drafting process have also progressed to ensure and reflect international consensus.

“In the ’50s and ’60s, the Safety Standards were individual books covering different technical areas.  But that began to change in the 1970s when we saw a framework coming into place in 1974 with the Nuclear Safety Standards Programme,” said Khammar Mrabit, a panellist who worked with the Safety Standards both as an IAEA staff member and in his capacity as former Director-General of the Moroccan Agency for Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security. He highlighted the significance of the Safety Standards in creating a community of practice that supported the “atoms for peace” vision at the core of the IAEA’s establishment. 

During the panel discussion, Dana Drábová, Chair of the Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety, referred to the practical support provided by the IAEA and highlighted how the implementation of nuclear safety conventions, combined with the industry standards and detailed national requirements, have established a consistent basis for protecting people and the environment. Drábová, who chaired the 5th and 6th terms of the IAEA Commission on Safety Standards from 2012 to 2019, noted that after the Chornobyl accident in 1986, several international conventions were based on the safety fundamentals hat existed in the 1990s.The three safety fundamentals that covered the safety of nuclear installations, the principles of radioactive waste management and radiation protection and the safety of radiation sources were then combined in 2006 to a single Safety Fundamental (SF1).

“Still today, the Safety Standards serve as a reference for countries to meet their obligations stated in these conventions,” she said. She went on to explain how every safety accident and incident are reflected in the Safety Standards, highlighting that the Safety Standards and guides were revised in light of the lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Maria Rentetzi, Professor of Science, Technology, and Gender Studies at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, reflected on the process of developing international standards from a science diplomacy perspective. “The history of radiation protection and the development of radiation standards is far from a linear story of progress. Rather it reflects a broader conception of international relations, nuclear diplomacy and the circulation of knowledge and expertise, which point to the role of international organizations as well as national regulatory institutions,” said Rentetzi, who researches the history of radiation protection and the role of the IAEA in setting radiation standards.

The side event linked milestones in the evolution of the Safety Standards with the current range of IAEA services, which support countries to access, understand and adopt the recommendations in the Safety Standards, enabling them to develop and adopt their own national safety standards. Whether in digital formats or on paper, in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish the IAEA is ensuring the availability and accessibility of the Safety Standards to all countries, while carefully preserving the historical records of the standards that came before them.