Category: Nuclear Weapons

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IAEA Concludes Long Term Operation Safety Review of Slovenia’s Krško Nuclear Power Plant

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts yesterday completed a review of long term operational safety of the Krško Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Slovenia.

The Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation (SALTO) review mission was requested by the plant’s operator, Nuklearna Elektrarna Krško (NEK). Krško NPP started commercial operation in 1983. It is the only reactor in Slovenia and is co-owned with neighbouring Croatia. Located approximately 70 kilometers east of Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana, and 40 kilometres north-west of Croatia’s capital Zagreb, Krško NPP is equipped with one pressurized-water reactor and has a net electrical output of 700 Megawatt electric (MW(e)). In 2023, the operating license of the NPP was extended from initially 40 years to 60 years until 2043.

During the ten-day mission that ended on 22 May, the team reviewed the plant’s preparedness, organization and programmes for safe long term operation, which built upon an initial IAEA pre-SALTO mission held at the plant in 2021. The mission was conducted by a twelve-person team consisting of experts from Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, three IAEA staff members and four observers from France, Hungary, Sweden, and the Nuclear Energy Agency. During the review, the SALTO team held in-depth discussions with staff from the Krško NPP and conducted several site walkdowns.    

The team noted the progress in measures taken by the operator to ensure safe LTO. “The professionalism, openness and receptiveness for improvements of plant staff to meet and move beyond the IAEA safety standards is commendable,” said team leader and IAEA Nuclear Safety Officer Martin Marchena who noted that most ageing management and LTO activities were already in alignment with IAEA safety standards. “We encourage the plant to address the review findings and proceed with the implementation of all remaining activities for safe LTO”, he added.

The team identified good performances that will be shared with the nuclear industry globally, including:

  • Operating a 360-degree “Virtual Walkdown” application that allows staff to visually evaluate equipment through photos and associated design and maintenance data in support of ageing management activities.
  • The comprehensive establishment, documentation and revalidation of the equipment qualification programme for LTO, which ensures that components can perform their intended safety functions under all conditions.
  • Ageing management activities for the reactor pressure vessel are well-established and form a well-structured and comprehensive programme.

The team also provided suggestions to further improve safe LTO, for example:

  • The plant should consider further developing a systematic approach for the oversight of the LTO programme.
  • The plant should consider adequately documenting the methodology and results used for scope setting (the identification of relevant systems, structures and components) for ageing management.
  • The plant should consider completing and fully documenting ageing management of electrical and instrumentation and control systems, structures and components (I&C SSCs).

The plant management expressed a determination to maintain the level of preparedness for safe LTO and further cooperate with the IAEA in this field.

“We appreciate the IAEA’s support to our plant in ageing management and preparation for safe LTO,” said Gorazd Pfeifer, President of the Krško management Board.  “It is very important for us to get an external view on our business. The competencies and experience of the IAEA team enable us to effectively identify areas for improvement.  The results of this mission will help us to improve our activities for safe LTO and to further align them with IAEA safety standards.”

The team provided a draft report to the plant management and to the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration (SNSA), the country’s nuclear regulatory authority, at the end of the mission. The plant management and SNSA will have an opportunity to make factual comments on the draft. A final report will be submitted to the plant management, SNSA and the Slovenian Government within three months.

Background

General information about SALTO missions can be found on the IAEA Website. A SALTO peer review is a comprehensive safety review addressing strategy and key elements for the safe long term operation of nuclear power plants. They complement OSART missions, which are designed as a review of programmes and activities essential to operational safety. Neither SALTO nor OSART reviews are regulatory inspections, nor are they design reviews or substitutes for an exhaustive assessment of a plant’s overall safety status.

LTO of nuclear power plants is defined as operation beyond an established time frame determined by the license term, the original plant design, relevant standards, or national regulations. As stated in IAEA safety standards, to maintain a plant’s fitness for service, consideration should be given to life limiting processes and features of systems, structures, and components (SSC), as well as to reasonably practicable safety upgrades to enhance the safety of the plant to a level approaching that of modern plants.

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Director General in Lombardy to Advance Nuclear Science and Technology

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Health was a major topic of the visit, and the Director General visited the National Cancer Institute of Milan, Italy’s first ever cancer research and treatment institute, which Mr Grossi called “a beacon of quality in the field”. The IAEA is exploring ways to increase its collaboration with the institute, including under its Rays of Hope initiative, to improve access to cancer care for those who need it most. 

Mr Grossi also toured the high-end National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO) in Pavia, alongside May Abdel-Wahab, Director of the Human Health Division of the IAEA. CNAO is one of only a handful of institutes in the world that is treating radio-resistant or inoperable tumours using hadrontherapy, an advanced nuclear technique that uses charged particles for radiotherapy, while reducing damage to surrounding tissues. 

In a press release about the visit, CNAO’s President Gianluca Vago said: “It is important to foster a positive culture of nuclear energy use. What CNAO has been doing for over twenty years is a demonstration of this. CNAO has long been engaged in promoting educational and training activities to make people understand that atomic particles are an important resource to be used for clinical purposes and is ready to start new collaborations within the international network promoted by IAEA.” 

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Update 292 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The IAEA team based at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) heard bursts of gunfire this morning, coinciding with a purported drone attack on the site’s training centre, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

It was the third time this year that the training centre, located just outside the site perimeter, was reportedly targeted by such an unmanned aerial vehicle.

The ZNPP told the IAEA team that the drone hit the roof of the training centre, without causing any casualties or major damage. It was not immediately known whether the drone had directly struck the building or whether it crashed on the structure after being shot down, the ZNPP said.

The IAEA staff members heard the gunfire shortly before 10am local time, but it was not clear if this observation was connected to the drone.

The IAEA team requested to visit the training centre, as it was able to do following the previous such incident that occurred in April. However, on this occasion permission has not yet been granted.

“These reported drone incidents are very concerning, as they could pose a direct threat to nuclear safety and security. To put it simply: there are too many drones flying near nuclear sites, not just the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. It should stop immediately,” Director General Grossi said.

In February, a drone severely damaged the New Safe Confinement (NSC) at the Chornobyl plant in northern Ukraine, built to prevent any radioactive release from the reactor unit 4 destroyed in the 1986 accident and to protect it from external hazards.

In mid-April, a drone was reportedly shot down and crashed near the ZNPP’s training centre, just over three months after another reported drone attack on the same centre.

Ukraine’s operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) – Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine – also regularly report of drones being detected near the respective sites. Last Friday, the IAEA team at the South Ukraine NPP was informed that drones were observed as close as 2km from the site and the team reported hearing anti-aircraft fire from their hotel. The same night, drones were reported to have been observed transiting through the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.

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Media Invited to Attend IAEA’s International Stakeholder Engagement Conference for Nuclear Power Programmes

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will host the International Conference on Stakeholder Engagement for Nuclear Power Programmes next week, providing a global platform to exchange good practices, experiences, challenges and lessons learned related to stakeholder engagement for nuclear power programmes.

The conference, which is open to media, will take place from 26 to 30 May at the IAEA in the M-Building of the Vienna International Centre (VIC). The conference will also be livestreamed.

A dialogue between IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and Robert Stone, director of the documentary Pandora’s Promise, will open the conference on Monday, 26 May, at 10:00. Isabelle Boemeke, nuclear energy influencer, will moderate the session.

Over 500 participants from about 80 countries and 13 international organizations are registered to participate in the event. 

Stakeholder engagement is an essential part of nuclear power programmes. It aims to enhance public confidence, strengthen communication and support informed decision making through strong, long-term relationships with stakeholders. The conference will cover development and implementation of stakeholder engagement strategies; managing changing landscapes; crisis communication and emergency preparedness; outreach and media relations. A series of side events will highlight the roles of private philanthropy, gender perceptions and art in shaping stakeholder engagement. See the full programme here.

Nuclear Communities and Mayors in Focus, a unique platform for open dialogue and the exchange of ideas among municipal leaders from around the world, will take place in the afternoon of Tuesday, 27 May. A family photo will be taken at 13:30.

The conference will also feature art submitted for the contest, NuclearPop! Redefining Nuclear Energy in Popular Culture, in the Rotunda of the VIC.

Accreditation

All journalists – including those with permanent accreditation to the Vienna International Centre (VIC) – are requested to inform the IAEA Press Office of their plans to attend the conference in person. Journalists without permanent accreditation to the VIC must send copies of their passport and press ID to press@iaea.org by 12:00 CEST on Friday, 23 May.

Journalists who do not yet have permanent accreditation are encouraged to request it at UNIS Vienna.

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From Protests to Partnership: Interview with Gerben Dijksterhuis, Mayor of Borsele, Kingdom of the Netherlands

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Gerben Dijksterhuis, Mayor of Borsele, addresses residents who developed a list of conditions for community acceptance of the construction of new nuclear power plants in the municipality. (Photo: Municipality of Borsele, Kingdom of the Netherlands)

The world’s first major gathering of representatives of communities hosting nuclear facilities will take place in Vienna, Austria, from 26 to 30 May 2025 at the IAEA’s International Conference on Stakeholder Engagement for Nuclear Power Programmes. Gerben Dijksterhuis, Mayor of Borsele, Kingdom of the Netherlands, which hosts the country’s only operating nuclear power plant, discusses key aspects of stakeholder engagement for nuclear power:

How has stakeholder engagement changed over time?

In the 1960s and 1970s, there were fierce protests and demonstrations against the arrival of the nuclear power plant, but in recent years we have seen almost no demonstrations. Over the years, the plant operator, EPZ, has learned to communicate openly and transparently. This has contributed to a good relationship with the surrounding community, an important element of EPZ’s ‘licence to operate’. The plant is now seen as a good neighbour.

Borsele organized a unique citizen participation process in 2023 on upcoming large energy projects, including two nuclear power reactors. What prompted you as Mayor, and the local government, to include citizens in the process?

People often have strong opinions either for or against nuclear energy, but the decision about whether new nuclear power plants will be built is ultimately made by the national government. So we’ve focused on the interests of the local community and asked the question: “If two additional nuclear power reactors are built, what will that mean for our municipality and residents? Under what conditions would we accept such a development?” By having this conversation, we’re engaging in a discussion about our shared future and deciding what is needed to keep living, working and enjoying life in our region.

My municipality has over 23 000 residents, so it’s not possible to ask everyone personally about their views on these developments. By randomly selecting 100 residents, we thought we would get a fair range of opinions reflecting the views of all residents. This way, we can look at what’s coming our way as a community with an open mind, without being too influenced by loud supporters or critics. We also wanted to give a voice to young people, who will live with the impact of new nuclear power plants the longest, and to the ‘silent majority’ — residents who are generally less likely to speak out in public debates.

Over the course of 5 meetings, these 100 residents came up with 39 conditions under which major developments could take place, ensuring that the environmental impact is properly considered.

We believe that as a local community we should have a voice in projects happening in our area.

What are some of the common concerns local residents have about nuclear energy projects? To what extent are they different from concerns about other large projects?

We are somewhat used to big projects because we live next to a large industrial area and an international seaport. However, there are concerns about the impact of the construction: we see in other countries how long it takes, how large the construction site is, and how many people work there. Residents mainly think about noise, dust and light pollution and an increase in construction traffic. There are also concerns about this development in relation to the landscape we are so proud of here.

Specifically for the nuclear component, people are concerned about the safety of new nuclear power plants and the continuing perception of a lack of a final solution for nuclear waste.

What is the socioeconomic impact of nuclear energy projects on host communities and neighbouring areas, based on the experience of Borsele?

About 400 people work at the existing nuclear power plant, and many more are employed indirectly. If the construction of two new nuclear power reactors goes ahead, thousands of additional workers will be needed for 5 to 15 years. This will not only create jobs in the region but also provide opportunities for local businesses, educational institutions and housing development. It is an opportunity to invest in the future of the region, with innovation and progress at the forefront. It’s therefore crucial that, as a government and society, we make timely plans to properly manage these developments. The construction of nuclear power plants affects an entire region, and when new nuclear power reactors are built, cooperation with neighbouring municipalities is essential to prepare for this. This includes planning for housing, infrastructure and education.

In addition to being Mayor of Borsele, you are President of the Group of European Municipalities with Nuclear Facilities (GMF Europe). Why is it important for nuclear host communities to organize in such associations?

Nuclear host communities often face or have faced the same challenges. As a network of host communities in different parts of Europe, GMF allows us to learn from each other and find solutions together. We can help each other by sharing information and lessons learned about how to deal with nuclear initiatives. Together, we can also be a stronger voice that is heard in international politics. I am proud that GMF has been invited several times — including by the IAEA — to contribute to new policy and present our vision to participating countries. Together with mayors in Canada and the United States of America, we have also established the Global Partnership of Municipalities with Nuclear Facilities.

It is equally important to advocate for the position of local communities. They must have a voice in developments that take place in their community.

What is the advice you would give to communities that are newcomers to nuclear?

Take an active role, make sure you are well informed, ask the right questions and ensure that the concerns of your community are heard. This not only helps in understanding the impact of nuclear projects, but also ensures that you can actively contribute to decision making and to the process in a way that is in the interest of your community.

Additionally, it is important to join networks of municipalities. This way, you can jointly influence policy, both nationally and internationally. By working with organizations such as the IAEA, we can ensure that policies take into account the needs of host communities.

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IAEA Profile: A Passion For Measurement

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Zakithi Msimang working at the IAEA’s Dosimetry Laboratory in Seibersdorf (Photo: IAEA)

The IAEA profiles employees to provide insight into the variety of career paths that support the Agency’s mission of Atoms for Peace and Development and to inspire and encourage readers, particularly women, to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) or STEM-adjacent fields. Read more profiles of women at the IAEA.  

“Don’t let the pressures of life distract from following your heart, wherever it takes you. Understand your purpose and strive to fulfil it,” Zakithi Msimang encourages the young scientists she supports in the IAEA’s Division of Human Health.

From South Africa to Austria, she has always let her interests and curiosity lead the way. Today, she is a medical physicist and metrologist, and a mentor in the IAEA’s Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme for women in STEM.

“Every country doesn’t need its own lab for metrology, but they all have to resolve the challenge of measurement and accuracy in some way. Whether you are a patient receiving radiation as a cancer treatment or a baker buying flour, everyone needs assurance that the amount they receive is correct and consistent,” she explains.

As the IAEA’s only Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratory (SSDL) Officer, Msimang has a unique role in ensuring consistency. She supports the 89 laboratories in 76 different countries that comprise the IAEA/World Health Organization Network of SSDLs. She oversees the data that laboratories around the world use daily to validate the calibration procedures they undertake at their own institutions. She also assists countries in establishing their own dosimetry calibration facilities, drafts IAEA guidance documents and organizes trainings on IAEA codes of practice.

This commitment to ‘measurement for all’ — this year’s theme for World Metrology Day — has also been the beacon of Msimang’s career path.

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IAEA Database Reveals Scale of Issue with Dietary Self-Reporting

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

A new equation is helping scientists check the reliability of people’s reports about what they eat, supporting better nutrition research.

A new equation, developed using data from an IAEA nutrition database, is helping researchers assess the accuracy of self-reported dietary information in studies and surveys.

This equation, developed using machine learning, has revealed that close to a third of records in two widely used nutritional datasets were likely to be misreported, according to a recent scientific article published in Nature Food.

This revelation underlines the need for better methods to measure what people really eat.

Nutritional epidemiology, a field that examines the link between diet and human diseases, commonly relies on tools such as questionnaires and food diaries to assess dietary intake. However, these methods are prone to misreporting, as participants may inaccurately estimate portion sizes, misremember what they ate, intentionally misstate their consumption, or even alter their eating habits during the reporting period.

“Many nutritional epidemiology studies that try to link dietary exposure to disease outcomes are based on unreliable data, which can explain why many findings contradict each other,” said John Speakman, one of the paper’s authors and a professor at the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology in China and the University of Aberdeen in the United Kingdom.

While the issue of misreporting and its impact on metabolic research has been recognized since the 1980s, studies continue to use these tools due to their perceived utility and the lack of practical and accessible alternatives for collecting dietary data.

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Luisa B Hernandez: From Radiation Protection to Nuclear Security

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Over the years, Luisa climbed the ranks in regulatory control. By 2002, she was appointed Director of the National Centre for Nuclear Safety, Cuba’s nuclear regulatory body. A year later, when Cuba signed the IAEA Nuclear Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol, she played a key role, including coordination with the IAEA about inspections and information exchange . Her leadership extended beyond Cuba, contributing to regional projects in Latin America aimed at developing regulatory frameworks for medical and industrial nuclear technology applications. 

While Luisa had dedicated most of her career to nuclear and radiation safety, her transition into nuclear security came unexpectedly. In 2007, she was chosen to complete a master’s degree in national security and defense — an assignment she initially resisted. However, the programme broadened her understanding of security issues and, in hindsight, proved essential to her later career. 

In 2014, she was appointed President of Cuba’s Nuclear Energy and Advanced Technologies Agency, overseeing all the country’s nuclear applications, from medicine to industrial use. Yet, life had another challenge in store. When her husband, a nuclear physicist, was offered a position at the IAEA, they decided to relocate to Vienna. 

“I arrived in Vienna in 2016 without a job, which was hard for someone as active as me, but I wanted to keep our family together.” 

However, this move ultimately led her in 2019 to a full-time position with the IAEA, working on the Regulatory Infrastructure Development Project with a focus on nuclear security. 

“For me, regulation is in my blood,” she says. “Safety and security in nuclear applications are crucial, and I’ve dedicated my life to ensuring they are upheld.” 

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Update 291 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has for more than a week relied on a single power line to supply the electricity it needs for essential nuclear safety functions, with the military conflict hampering efforts to restore the connection to its back-up line, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

The ZNPP’s only remaining 330 kilovolt (kV) back-up line was disconnected on 7 May, leaving the plant entirely dependent on the only functioning 750 kV line. The IAEA was informed that the damage occurred in Ukrainian-controlled territory some distance away from the plant and that the Ukrainian grid operator cannot currently carry out repairs due to the active military situation in this area.

The ZNPP’s six reactors have been shut down since mid-2022 but they still require off-site power to cool the fuel and minimise the risk of an accident. Before the conflict, the plant had access to ten power lines, ensuring reliable off-site power.

“Throughout the war, off-site power has been the main Achilles heel for nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. The situation has, unfortunately, not improved in this regard. Our experts on the ground will continue to monitor developments very closely and we will continue to inform the world about nuclear safety and security at the plant, which remains precarious,” Director General Grossi said.

The IAEA team has continued to hear military activities every day over the past week, with explosions at different distances from the ZNPP and early on Tuesday morning, the team also heard gun fire and what appeared to be the sound of a drone.

As part of their daily activities to monitor and assess nuclear safety and security, the IAEA team observed six of the site’s 20 emergency diesel generators (EDGs). EDGs provide back up support in case a nuclear power plant (NPP) were to lose access to all off-site electricity, something which has happened eight times at the ZNPP during the conflict.

The team observed a loose screw on two of the EDGs, and saw indications that some activities may have recently been conducted on one of them. The ZNPP stated that there had not been any maintenance performed recently but acknowledged that the screws should not have been loose, one of which they said was due to vibrations. The IAEA team plan to observe scheduled testing of one of these EDGs in the coming days.

Mobile diesel boilers that provided heat to the ZNPP and the nearby city of Enerhodar during the cold winter months have now been shut down to perform hydraulic tests on the grid water system, the team also reported.

Director General Grossi said he continued to engage intensively with both sides to organise the next rotation of IAEA experts at the plant, which is already delayed because of the complex and difficult situation on the ground in the area located on the frontline of the conflict.

Planned maintenance and refuelling activities have continued to take place at Ukraine’s three operating NPPs – Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine. One reactor unit at the Rivne NPP has returned to full power generation over the past week, so there are now a total of six reactors operating in Ukraine.

At the three plants and the Chornobyl site, the IAEA teams continued to report several air-raid alarms over the past week. The Agency teams at Rivne, South Ukraine and Chornobyl rotated over the past week, with staff from headquarters in Vienna replacing their colleagues in the field.

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Director General in Ecuador to Support Nuclear Power Plans, the Galapagos and More

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Alongside energy, the Director General and Foreign Minister Sommerfeld also discussed how IAEA initiatives to promote the benefits of nuclear science are supporting Ecuador’s progress in many key development areas.  

High on the agenda was cancer care, where IAEA flagship initiative Rays of Hope is increasing  access to radiotherapy in the country. During his trip, Mr Grossi visited Carlos Andrade Marin Hospital where he was pleased to see “how IAEA efforts and local investment in cancer care — including access to radiotherapy — are making a life-changing difference.” 

Nuclear science is also a powerful tool to boost food security and strengthen food export potential, and the IAEA’s Atoms4Food is helping Ecuador and other countries battle invasive insect pests like Mediterranean Fruit Fly, make banana crops more resilient to disease and map water resources to ensure a sustainable supply. 

NUTEC Plastics, the IAEA initiative to use nuclear science to monitor and reduce marine plastic pollution, is also of relevance to the coastal country. During his trip, the Director General exchanged on the importance of tackling plastic pollution in valuable ecosystems, such as Antarctica where he recently launched microplastics research, and the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador where the IAEA has helped establish one of the world’s leading laboratories in microplastics. He also met with a range of local partners already working with the IAEA on the archipelago to preserve biodiversity and work for a healthier ocean.