Category: Nuclear Weapons

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IAEA Mission Recognizes Thailand’s Commitment to Improve Nuclear and Radiation Safety

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Members of the IRRS team visited and observed regulatory inspection activities at Thailand’s TRR-1/M1 research reactor in Bangkok. (Photo: Office of Atoms for Peace, Thailand)

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts said Thailand is committed to strengthening its national regulatory framework for safety. The team also identified some areas for further enhancements and encouraged the country to establish a national policy and strategy for safety, following a systematic and incremental approach to continuously improve the regulatory infrastructure.

The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission, which concluded on 14 February, was conducted at the request of the Government of Thailand and hosted by the Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP). It was the first IRRS mission conducted in the country. Last year, the IAEA completed an International Nuclear Security Advisory Service, Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review for Research Reactors and Occupational Radiation Protection Appraisal Service.

Thailand does not have any nuclear power plants but uses radiation sources in medical, scientific and industrial applications. Thailand’s TRR-1/M1 research reactor has been in operation since 1977. The TRIGA Mark III reactor produces isotopes such as samarium-153, which is used in nuclear medicine, and functions as a neutron imaging facility in addition to serving as a key training centre. The Southeast Asian country is preparing to build on this experience and aims to construct two new research reactors.

The 12-day IRRS mission covered the legal framework for safety, regulatory processes, emergency preparedness and response, and the interfaces with nuclear security. IRRS missions are designed to strengthen the effectiveness of the national nuclear and radiation safety regulatory infrastructure, based on IAEA safety standards and international good practices, while recognizing the responsibility of each country to ensure nuclear and radiation safety.

The IRRS team – comprised of 15 regulatory experts from 14 countries, as well as three IAEA staff members – conducted interviews and discussions with OAP staff and representatives from the Department of Medical Science of the Ministry of Public Health. Members of the IRRS team also visited and observed regulatory inspection activities at the Thai Nampthip industrial facility, Bhumibol Hospital and two facilities at the Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT) – a radioactive waste management facility and the TRR-1/M1 research reactor.

“The team was very satisfied with the openness and the spirit of collaboration of the staff of the participating organizations,” said Joao Oliveira Martins, IRRS team leader and Director for Emergencies and Radiation Protection at Portugal’s Environmental Protection Agency. “The team has observed a strong commitment to nuclear and radiation safety, and there are also opportunities to further strengthen the regulatory framework, for example, in relation to medical exposure. I am confident that the mission’s recommendations will support the national authorities and will contribute to the continuous improvement efforts.”

The IRRS team observed that OAP should develop and keep updated a comprehensive human resource plan and should continue enhancing its management system by establishing processes needed for organizational management and to integrate the performance of all regulatory functions.

The team identified areas of good performances, including:

  • The comprehensive and high-level governmental composition of the Nuclear Energy for Peace Commission, a government entity including expert level subcommittees, which provides a robust foundation for building and sustaining the framework for safety;
  • OAP’s public and informational activities with regard to safety for consumer products, such as the production of artificially coloured gemstones;
  • The extensive efforts of OAP to develop capacities to perform independent review and assessment of the applications for authorization of the two research reactors at different stages of design and construction; and
  • OAP’s efforts to establish a work environment that fosters an organizational safety culture that supports and encourages trust, collaboration and engagement among staff.

The team also provided recommendations and suggestions to help Thailand enhance its regulatory framework, including for the Government to:

  • Adopt a national policy and strategy for nuclear and radiation safety;
  • Strengthen the legal and regulatory framework for the regulation of medical exposure; and
  • Review or establish additional regulations to fill existing gaps in the regulatory framework.  

“The recommendations and suggestions will be analysed carefully, and we will do our best to implement them and to achieve appropriate improvement in our national regulatory framework, infrastructure and activities for compliance with the IAEA’s standards and requirements,” said Pennapa Kanchana, OAP Deputy Secretary General.

“Thailand’s commitment to safety is well demonstrated by the proactive approach of the national authorities to enrich their competence for safety, drawing lessons from the experiences of experts from other countries through IAEA peer review and advisory services,” said Hildegarde Vandenhove, Director of the IAEA Division on Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety.

The IRRS team’s final report will be provided to the Government of Thailand in about three months.

IAEA Safety Standards

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

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IAEA Director General meets Pakistan’s Prime Minister to Strengthen Collaboration on Energy, Health and Food

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The IAEA is helping Pakistan adapt to and mitigate climate change. With IAEA support, scientists at Pakistan’s Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology – a joint IAEA and Food and Agriculture Organization collaborating centre – have helped to strengthen food security in the country. They have developed climate resilient and more nutritious food crops, found ways of combatting soil salinization and developed more sustainable cotton varieties.

Summing up the role of nuclear science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals, Mr Grossi gave a keynote address  at the National University of Science and Technology on Wednesday.

“The IAEA is helping Pakistan improve healthcare, soil, crops and nutrition – we’ll continuing delivering real impact,” he said.

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Update 274 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Today’s scheduled rotation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team currently based at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) was cancelled as a result of intense military activity in the region, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

Despite written assurances received from both sides that the planned rotation could take place safely, the situation proved to be too dangerous for the teams to continue and the mission was aborted.

“I deeply regret today’s cancellation of the carefully prepared and agreed rotation of our staff, who are carrying out vital work in very challenging circumstances to help prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict. It is completely unacceptable that the safety of our staff is jeopardised in this way,” Director General Grossi said.

“As a result of these extremely concerning events, I am in active consultation with both sides to guarantee the safety of our teams and to secure the continued presence of the IAEA at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant to enable our staff to continue their indispensable mission, helping to maintain nuclear safety and security,” he said.

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Groundwater: How Scientists Study its Pollution and Sustainability

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

An aquifer is a porous rock that is water bearing and from which water can be extracted (Infographic: Adriana Vargas/IAEA).

Groundwater accounts for around 30 per cent of the world’s freshwater, making it an important resource for addressing current global issues, such as world population growth, agricultural intensification and increased water use in different sectors like oil and gas extraction and mining, apparel and textile manufacturing and livestock farming. To protect groundwater from the threats of overextraction and pollution, and to manage it sustainably for the future, it is essential to understand where groundwater in specific locations is originating from, what its quality is and how quickly it replenishes. Scientists can perform this kind of research by analyzing the water ‘fingerprints’ called “isotopes”, which are variations of atoms in the water molecule.

What is groundwater?

Groundwater is water found underground. It can be hidden in the cracks and spaces within rocks and sediments, forming an underground resource, hosted in what is known as an “aquifer”. Depending on the characteristics or the aquifer, groundwater can be extracted, using pumping wells, for irrigation, drinking and industrial water supply and other human activities.

How are aquifers formed and why should we use them wisely?

Groundwater is part of the water cycle. Following rainfall, some water soaks into the soil and, driven by gravity, migrates downwards continuously through the subsoil and moves until it is eventually stopped by compact, impermeable rock, called an aquiclude. Many aquifers are connected to, and fed by, rivers and other surface water bodies, during the dry season. In the wet season, this system can be reversed with groundwater moving back into rivers and lakes and replenishing them.

Aquifers are an integral part of the water cycle, and their replenishment rate depends on rainfall, among other factors (Infographic: Adriana Vargas/IAEA).

The rate at which an aquifer is replenished depends on the climate and environment in the location where recharge is happening. Aquifers in an area of low rainfall might take centuries to get refilled. In contrast, shallow aquifers in an area of substantial rainfall may be replenished almost immediately. Thus, climate change, which results in more intense droughts, but also more intense localised rainfall, has an impact on how fast aquifers refill and, by extension, on how much groundwater people can use sustainably.

The intensive use of groundwater for human activities, such as agriculture and industry, at a scale that exceeds the speed at which aquifers refill, may put at risk not only the integrity of the aquifers, which risk collapse if they are drained, but also the global amount of water that people can use, because groundwater constitutes an important part of the world’s available freshwater.

Additionally, groundwater may not always be clean enough for human use. Human activities carried out on the surface, such as sewage disposal and the overuse of pesticides and fertilizers, including animal manure, are among the main sources of contamination and pollution of groundwater. Knowing the origin of pollutants, therefore, is the first step toward addressing problems of water quality.

Potential sources of groundwater pollution by human activities (Infographic: Adriana Vargas/IAEA).

What are isotopes and how can they help scientists understand water?

The water molecule is composed of atoms of oxygen and hydrogen. Some variations of the atoms of the same chemical element, called isotopes, can be used to study the water cycle, including groundwater.

Isotopes are atoms of the same element with the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons.

Different “isotopic” techniques are used to measure isotope amounts and proportions, and to trace their origin, history, sources and interactions in the environment.

Water has a different or unique isotopic “fingerprint”, or “isotopic signature”, depending on where it comes from. Scientists analyze isotopes to track the movement and pollution sources of water along its path through the water cycle.

How do scientists use isotopes to establish whether groundwater is being overused?

Scientists use isotopes in large-scale studies on water, to assess its amount, age, and origins, and to establish whether the amount being used by people is sustainable.

For example, radioisotopes naturally present in groundwater, such as tritium, carbon-14, and noble gases helium-3, helium-4 and krypton-81, are used to learn more about how old groundwater is and the timescales of groundwater flow. By analyzing the concentration of different combinations of both stable and radio-isotopes, scientists can calculate when exactly the water is recharged in aquifers, how fast groundwater flows, and how long it takes to replenish. With this data, it is possible to establish, for example, whether or not agricultural activities in a specific area are demanding an amount of groundwater that will not be replenished fast enough to sustain irrigation needs in the long run.

By analyzing the isotopes in groundwater, scientists can establish how old the water is, and deduce how long it will take for an aquifer to recharge based on how much water is being pumped for human activities (Infographic: Adriana Vargas/IAEA).

How do scientists use isotopes to study groundwater pollution?

Scientists use specific isotopes like nitrogen-15, oxygen-18, and sulfur-34 to identify pollutants such as nitrate and sulphates. They also use these isotopes to establish whether the groundwater in a specific location is safe for human use.

For example, scientists can establish whether water contaminated with an excessive amount of nitrate is being polluted by either human waste or by fertilizers. Nitrate ions are made up of nitrogen and oxygen, and nitrogen has two isotopes while oxygen has three. The ratio of these isotopes is different in human waste and in fertilizers. Therefore, the source of pollution can be identified based on these isotopic differences. Knowing the origins of pollutants is a milestone in addressing problems with water quality and working toward the sustainable management of water resources.

What is the role of the IAEA?

  • The IAEA uses isotope hydrology to support Member States in water resources assessment and sustainable water management. The Agency also provides assistance and training to laboratories and scientists on analytical services through its Isotope Hydrology Laboratory.
  • Offering a wide range of courses, the IAEA provides training on the fundamentals of isotope hydrology and isotopic analyses of stable isotopes, tritium and noble gases.
  • Through its technical cooperation programme, the IAEA collaborates closely with its Member States to improve the availability and sustainability of freshwater resources through science-based, comprehensive water resources assessments.
  • Partnering with the World Meteorological Organization, the IAEA operates the Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation, which contains scientific advice, logistics and technical support in isotope hydrology.

This article was first published on 22 March 2023.

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Call for Papers: International Conference on Emergency Preparedness and Response

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

“This conference provides a unique platform to bring together stakeholders from across the EPR community to discuss best practices, future trends and new technologies to enhance emergency preparedness,” said Carlos Torres Vidal, Director of the IAEA Incident and Emergency Centre, which is organizing the event. “By fostering international cooperation and sharing insights, we aim to help countries bolster their emergency response capabilities in a rapidly changing world.” 

“Saudi Arabia is privileged to host this significant conference, organized by the IAEA, as part of our ongoing efforts to strengthen nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness nationally, regionally, and globally. Over the years, we have worked closely with the IAEA to advance capabilities and foster international cooperation in this vital field,” said Khalid Aleissa, Chief Executive Officer of the NRRC.  

“Through this conference, we aim to provide a platform for experts and decision-makers from all organizations involved in emergency response to collaborate, exchange insights, and shape the future of nuclear emergency preparedness and response, ensuring readiness for the challenges of an evolving world,” he added. 

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Update 273 – IAEA Director General Statement on Situation in Ukraine

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and assessed damage to energy infrastructure vital for nuclear safety during his 11th visit to Ukraine since the military conflict began almost three years ago, as part of the ongoing efforts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to help prevent a nuclear accident.

Before his meetings with President Zelensky and senior government officials in Kyiv on Tuesday, the Director General travelled to one of the substations on which Ukraine’s nuclear power plants (NPPs) depend to receive the off-site power needed to cool their reactors and for other essential nuclear safety and security functions and also to transmit the electricity they generate.

In recent months, Ukraine’s operating NPPs – Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine – have several times been forced to reduce power output because of widespread military activities affecting the electricity grid, in which the substations form a key part. Most recently, Ukraine informed the IAEA that the NPPs temporarily lowered their production on 1 February before returning to nominal power again.

“The reason that this is so important, from the perspective of the IAEA, is because of the influence of this situation on the safety of the nuclear power plants’ operation,” Director General Grossi told journalists at the substation, which is among several such facilities that were further damaged and degraded in recent months.

“This compromises the nuclear safety of a power plant, and it could eventually lead to an accident,” he said, noting the importance of a stable electricity grid for the nuclear safety and security of NPPs. “Having an external power supply is essential”.

IAEA expert teams have travelled to nine different electrical substations across the country seen as critical for nuclear safety and security, including the one visited by Director General Grossi on 4 February. Five of these substations have been visited twice during IAEA missions in September, October and December 2024, with the teams observing a continued degradation at several facilities.

During their visits to the substations, the IAEA teams collect information, assess the situation and provide technical advice.

“The situation is quite dire. We should not, I think, hide the fact. And as you can see behind us, this infrastructure has been degraded,” Director General Grossi said, standing next to a visibly damaged autotransformer.

Director General Grossi also noted the work conducted at this and other Ukrainian substations to help “preserve the stability of the grid”, for example by replacing damaged transformers.

In his meetings with President Zelensky, Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha and Minister of Energy German Galushchenko, Director General Grossi also discussed progress in Ukraine’s plans to purchase equipment from the interrupted Bulgarian NPP project in Belene for new reactor units being constructed at the Khmelnytskyy NPP. The IAEA is providing technical support and nuclear safety advice for this plan, Director General Grossi said.

At Ukraine’s NPPs over the past week, the IAEA teams based there have continued to report on indications of military activities near the sites, constant reminders of the potential risks to nuclear safety and security.

At Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya NPP, the team heard multiple instances of explosions on most days, some very close to the plant. There were no reports of damage to the site.

Following the disconnection of the ZNPP’s only available 750 kilovolt (kV) power line on 29 January, it was reconnected on 1 February. As a result, the site once again has two external power lines available – including one 330 kV – compared with a total of ten before the conflict.

The IAEA teams at the Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs and the Chornobyl site continued to report daily air raid alarms. The teams at Khmelnytskyy, South Ukraine and Chornobyl were also informed of drones being detected in locations near the sites.

At the South Ukraine NPP, a 750 kV power line that was disconnected on 29 January due to military activities remains unavailable.  

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Call for Papers: Conference on Resilience of Nuclear Installations

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

“The resilience of nuclear installations can be viewed as the ability of the installation to quickly return to its original safety state after the occurrence of a potentially damaging event such as an earthquake, hurricane, or aircraft crash,” said Paolo Contri, Head of the IAEA Section of External Events Safety.  

He added: “Resilience is coupled with the concept of robustness against external hazards, which encompasses the development of engineering solutions in siting, design and operation phases, that can support the response to extreme scenarios, but also to emerging challenges, or unknown threats, as well as planning, response and recovery strategies.” 

Contributors interested in submitting papers for the conference can find the topics of interest here, which includes areas such as the identification and analysis of external hazards, the consideration of uncertainties in hazard analyses and events resulting from combined hazards; and the impact of external hazards on nuclear installations and radioactive waste disposal facilities as well as the safety features of innovative new reactor designs and their contribution to resilience. 

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VIDEO: IAEA Director General in Ukraine

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi is in Ukraine to assess damage to key electricity infrastructure that is critical to the country’s nuclear safety.

This is the 11th mission to Ukraine led personally by the Director General since the conflict began almost three years ago, demonstrating the IAEA’s unwavering commitment to assist Ukraine in ensuring nuclear safety and security.

Read the latest IAEA update on the situation here. 

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IAEA Follow-up Mission Recognizes Spain’s Continued Commitment to Improve Nuclear and Radiation Safety

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

An IAEA team of experts today completed a follow-up review of Spain’s regulatory framework for nuclear and radiological safety. (CSN)

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts assessed that Spain showed a strong commitment to nuclear and radiation safety, and confirmed that Spain has successfully enhanced its regulatory framework, fully implementing recommendations made during the Agency’s 2018 mission.

The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) follow-up mission, which took place from 27 January to 3 February at the request of the Government of Spain was hosted by the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO), the Ministry of Health (MoH), and the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Its purpose was to review progress on the recommendations and suggestions identified in the initial IRRS mission in 2018, except for those covering  the management of radioactive waste, spent fuel and decommissioning. These will be covered by an upcoming Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (ARTEMIS) follow-up mission, which is expected to take place later in 2025.

IRRS missions are designed to strengthen the effectiveness of the national nuclear and radiation safety regulatory infrastructure, based on IAEA safety standards and international good practices, while recognizing the responsibility of each country to ensure nuclear and radiation safety.

Spain utilizes nuclear and radiation technologies for energy production, medical applications, industry and research. The country has seven operating nuclear power reactors, producing around 20 per cent of its electricity. Three nuclear power plants are in permanent shutdown, which are in different stages of decommissioning and closure. Most of the reactor sites have interim spent fuel storage facilities, and Spain has one disposal facility for very low, low and intermediate level radioactive waste. 

As part of its review, the IRRS team – comprised of four regulatory experts from France, Germany, Switzerland and the United States of America, as well as four IAEA staff members – conducted interviews and discussions with CSN and MITECO staff and representatives from the MoH and MoI. The team reviewed the actions taken by Spain to address the recommendations and suggestions made in 2018 and found that 12 recommendations and 20 suggestions have been adequately addressed. As a result, they have been either fully closed or closed on the basis of progress made and confidence in effective completion in due time.

 “The IRRS team was very impressed with the high degree of commitment and professionalism demonstrated by our Spanish counterparts,” said Scott Morris, Regional Administrator for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Team Leader for this mission. “Their focus on continuous improvement of the legal and regulatory framework for nuclear and radiological safety in Spain is commendable.”

The mission team identified notable achievements by CSN in the following areas:

  • Developing a human resource plan, including a systematic training approach for all staff.
  • Strengthening the safety culture of the CSN.
  • Establishment of a national radon action plan.
  • Ensuring CSN’s effective collaboration with the Autonomous Communities of Spain.

Two good practices were also highlighted:

  • The Digital Radiation Passbook, a digital platform created by CSN that provides users with real time dose data, reduces the need for manual data input and enables the regulator to conduct real-time statistical analyses; and
  • A centralized digital dosimetry system, provided by the CSN, to be used during emergencies for real-time radiation dose monitoring of emergency workers of all off-site response organizations.

The IRRS team suggested that Spain establish guidance documents related to possible radiation risks delivered to the public by authorized parties as required by legal provisions, in accordance with a graded approach.

Juan Carlos Lentijo, CSN President, said: “The IRRS follow-up mission reinforces Spain’s commitment to nuclear safety and radiation protection. This process is a valuable tool to work on robust and future-proof safety systems, where excellence continues to be the highest priority.”

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

IAEA Safety Standards

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

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Japan’s Reports on Conditions at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, 1 February 2025

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

On 1 February 2025, Japan provided the IAEA with a copy of a report on the discharge record and the seawater monitoring results at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station during September, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent to all international Missions in Japan.

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