Category: Nuclear Energy

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

A new expert team from the International Atomic Energy Agency crossed the frontline this week to travel to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), replacing colleagues who have been monitoring nuclear safety and security at the site over the past several weeks as part of the IAEA’s non-stop efforts to help prevent a radiological accident during the military conflict.

It is the 25th IAEA Support and Assistance Mission stationed at the ZNPP since Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi set up an Agency presence there in September 2022. It was followed a few months later by the establishment of similar IAEA missions at Ukraine’s four other nuclear facilities – the Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine nuclear power plants (NPPs) and the Chornobyl site.

Over the past week, the teams at the three operating NPPs – which currently provide much of Ukraine’s electricity supplies – also rotated successfully.

“We will stay at these sites for as long as it is needed to help avert the threat of a nuclear accident that could have serious consequences for human health and the environment in Ukraine and beyond. As the nuclear safety and security situation remains highly challenging, our experts are continuing to play a crucial stabilizing role at all these facilities,” Director General Grossi said.

In their daily work, the IAEA teams assess nuclear safety and security at the five sites, provide relevant information to the public and the international community, and deliver on a comprehensive programme of technical support and assistance to Ukraine that includes nuclear safety and security-related equipment as well as expertise and advice. The IAEA also provides medical assistance.

At the ZNPP, reactor unit 1 was returned to cold shutdown mode on 2 November after welding and radiography tests were successfully completed on one leaking impulse line, as reported last week. The plant continues to analyse the underlying cause of the defect, which had no direct nuclear safety impact.

Over the past week, the IAEA team members examined the current power configuration at the ZNPP, an area which remains a deep source of concern for nuclear safety and security. They were informed that two backup transformers had resumed operation after successful high voltage testing in late October, and that maintenance would be carried out on the four remaining backup transformers by the end of the year.

With the ZNPP, they have also discussed the plant’s preparations for the cold winter months, receiving confirmation that all six reactors will remain in cold shutdown, with required heating provided by on-site boilers instead.

The IAEA team also visited the reactor and containment building of unit 4 without identifying any nuclear safety and security issues, as well as some of the emergency diesel generators of units 1 and 5.

During the past week, the team has continued to hear frequent explosions, some distance away from the ZNPP. No damage to the ZNPP was reported.

The IAEA teams 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.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Government ministers and senior officials from dozens of countries convened at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in Rome for the inaugural ministerial meeting of the World Fusion Energy Group (WFEG) today, underscoring the growing interest and progress in developing fusion technology to provide a clean, safe and limitless source of energy. 

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and – on behalf of the Italian President of the Council of Ministers Giorgia Meloni – Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Minister Alfredo Mantovano delivered the opening speeches together with the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani and the Italian Minister of Environment and Energy Gilberto Pichetto Fratin.

During the WFEG ministerial discussions, co-organized by the IAEA and Italy, participants widely agreed that cross-border collaboration is essential to accelerate the transition from fusion research to commercialization. Speakers highlighted the need to work together to establish international supply chains and develop the required specialised workforce.  

The meeting – the first of its kind – showed how recent developments and technical breakthroughs in the fusion sector have generated new momentum, making the deployment of fusion plants in the near future increasingly plausible. 

In a further sign of increased interest, the IAEA launched two fusion publications – the World Fusion Outlook 2024 and Fusion Key Elements – on the occasion of today’s meeting.

“The fusion sector is experiencing an unprecedented transformation, driven by scientific breakthroughs, combined with a surge in private sector investment,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who presented the two publications at the WFEG.

“The IAEA has intensified its involvement, resulting in the World Fusion Outlook and Fusion Key Elements, as well as the expansion of our activities devoted to advancing fusion engineering, ensuring safety, addressing environmental concerns, developing regulatory frameworks, and examining the socio-economic dimensions related to fusion energy,” Director General Grossi said. 

“It is no coincidence that the World Fusion Energy Group is gathering for the first time in Italy. We are here thanks to our tradition, our prestige in the field of scientific research and the key contribution that Italy has made to global technological progress,” Undersecretary Mantovano declared. “We are endowed with top level technological expertise. Our university system trains a significant number of internationally renowned nuclear engineers and physicists, and our centres of excellence stand out with large research and development projects.” 

Discussions at the WFEG meeting were focused on three main topics: the status of fusion energy; global collaboration and public-private partnerships; and sustaining resources and exploring alternative business opportunities. 

“The strong attendance at today’s meeting clearly demonstrates the growing optimism about the immense potential of fusion energy as a long-term clean energy solution,” Director General Grossi said. “Until recently, fusion energy had been a distant dream, but now with burgeoning private sector involvement and major technical breakthroughs, it seems fusion’s realization is now within reach.” 

“The atom can be a safe, effective and clean source for the future. It is a concrete prospect, in which we can and must believe. Today we want to start an ambitious path of sharing and discussion that will concern not only the current situation of fusion energy, but also the path to follow in order to reach this momentous goal,” Undersecretary Mantovano stated. “The Group encourages each of us to look beyond our own borders and to lay the foundations of a new energy and environmental diplomacy that multiplies the opportunities for cooperation between the North and the South of the world.”

World Fusion Outlook 2024 

In its second edition, the World Fusion Outlook 2024 provides an overview of the current state and direction of the fusion field. It highlights emerging plant concepts, projected development timelines, policy frameworks and trends in both public and private investment. It also covers research output metrics and offers regional and sectoral outlooks. 

At least 20 fusion energy plant concepts are at various stages of development in ten countries with the target completion dates ranging between the late-2020s and mid-2050s. The concepts featured in this year’s outlook are being developed by governments, private companies and public–private joint ventures. 

Fusion Key Elements  

Fusion Key Elements highlights the importance of sharing a common vision and understanding of the path leading to commercialization of fusion energy among all stakeholders involved. It is structured around six key elements, each addressing facets of the fusion energy paradigm. These include: 

1. Research, development and demonstration priorities and metrics, and commercialization milestones 
2. Resources, workforce and knowledge management for industrialization 
3. Safety, security and non-proliferation 
4. Global collaboration 
5. Roles of stakeholders 
6. Public engagement, outreach and communication 

Together, these six elements form the foundation of a unified strategy to navigate challenges and seize the opportunities inherent in fusion energy development. Experts from around the world, including members of the International Fusion Research Council (IFRC) contributed to the publication.  

“The IAEA remains steadfast in its support of fusion energy development, championing initiatives that bring us closer to realizing the dream of limitless, clean energy,” Director General Grossi said. “Together, let us embrace the promise of fusion energy, forging a path towards a brighter, more sustainable future for all.” 

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched today two fusion publications – the World Fusion Outlook 2024 and Fusion Key Elements – underscoring the growing interest and progress in developing fusion technology to provide a clean, safe and limitless source of energy. 

“The fusion sector is experiencing an unprecedented transformation, driven by scientific breakthroughs, combined with a surge in private sector investment,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, who presented the two publications at the inaugural ministerial meeting of the World Fusion Energy Group (WFEG) in Rome.

In its second edition, the World Fusion Outlook 2024 provides an overview of the current state and direction of the fusion field. Fusion Key Elements highlights the importance of sharing a common vision and understanding of the path leading to commercialization of fusion energy among all stakeholders involved.

“The IAEA has intensified its involvement, resulting in the World Fusion Outlook and Fusion Key Elements, as well as the expansion of our activities devoted to advancing fusion engineering, ensuring safety, addressing environmental concerns, developing regulatory frameworks, and examining the socio-economic dimensions related to fusion energy,” Director General Grossi said. 

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

At Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), repairs are being conducted in one of its six reactors after a small water leakage was detected from an impulse line – essentially a small pipe – connected to the unit’s primary circuit, with the work expected to be completed later this week, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

The IAEA expert team stationed at the ZNPP visited unit 1 on Tuesday after being informed that one of the impulse lines, part of the reactor coolant pump support systems, was leaking and required repair. For this work, the pressure in the primary circuit had to be decreased to atmospheric level.  The team was informed today that welding work had been completed and that radiography checks of the welds were on-going.

“The Agency will continue to follow this issue closely, although we don’t see any immediate issue for nuclear safety. In general, we have identified regular equipment maintenance – which is vital to ensure sustainable nuclear safety and security – as a challenging area for the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant during the conflict,” Director General Grossi said.

Like the ZNPP’s five other reactors, unit 1 has been in cold shutdown, generating no electricity for the grid, prior to this week’s change in status to shutdown for maintenance. It is expected that unit 1 will be put back to cold shutdown after the repair of the impulse line is completed and tested.

The IAEA team has also carried out other walkdowns during the past week as part of their continuous work to assess – and report on – nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP, where the general situation remains precarious on the frontline of the conflict.

Earlier this week, for example, the team visited the main control rooms of all six units to examine key plant parameters as well as the staffing situation. The IAEA staff have also visited some of the emergency diesel generators (EDG) of units 2 and 5 to verify the readiness of equipment and check the diesel fuel levels.

As virtually every week, the team has continued to hear explosions daily, although no damage to the plant was reported.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, an IAEA team last week completed its visits to seven electrical substations, as part of the Agency’s work to assess the status of the electrical grid infrastructure essential to nuclear safety that began in September.

During the visits, which were requested by Ukraine, the team reviewed how damage caused by military activities earlier this year had impacted the substations’ deliveries of off-site power to the country’s operating nuclear power plants (NPPs), an area highlighted in the Seven Indispensable Pillars of nuclear safety and security outlined by Director General Grossi in March 2022.

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.

On Monday, the team at the Khmelnytskyy NPP had to shelter at their hotel for several hours after hearing drones which triggered an air raid alarm. The IAEA was subsequently informed by the Ukrainian regulator that 12 drones had been flying near the site during the morning, the closest 400 metres away. The regulator also said drones had been reported near the South Ukraine site on three occasions over the past week.

“Frequent reports of drones flying near nuclear power plants continue to be a source of deep concern for nuclear safety and security. As we have stated repeatedly, any military activity in the vicinity of nuclear power plants represents a potential risk,” Director General Grossi said.

The IAEA is continuing to implement its comprehensive programme of assistance in support of nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, including by delivering requested equipment.

Over the past two weeks, the South Ukraine NPP received radiation and contamination monitoring devices, while State Enterprise USIE Izotop – involved in the management of radioactive material intended for medical, industrial and other purposes – received personal protective equipment. These items were procured with funds from Japan, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. So far, a total of 73 deliveries of equipment and other supplies have been completed by the IAEA.

Last week, remote training on human performance and management observation and coaching was completed for 109 staff at the Chornobyl, Rivne and South Ukraine sites. The training aimed to equip staff and management with skills on how to prevent or reduce the risk of human errors with potential implications for nuclear safety.