Category: Press Release

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts have assessed the damage caused by this week’s powerful explosions near Ukraine’s Khmelnitsky Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP), observing 26 broken windows but reporting no impact on nuclear safety and security at the site, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

The IAEA team present at the KhNPP has conducted a thorough walkdown at the site after blast waves early on Wednesday morning shattered windows in several of its buildings and briefly cut external power to two off-site radiation monitoring stations. Ukraine said it had shot down two drones five and 20 kilometres from the plant, respectively.

The KhNPP is now installing thin metal sheets to replace the damaged windows until permanent replacements can be procured. One reactor is continuing to operate, while the second unit remains in planned outage since early August.

Separately, the IAEA is aware of Russian reports of three drones identified in an area near the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant (KuNPP) in the south of the Russian Federation, one of which exploded causing minor damage to the façade of the building where spent nuclear fuel is stored. It is reported there were no casualties and the radiation levels at the site of the KuNPP do not exceed the established norms.

“This week’s events show that nuclear safety and security remains potentially precarious, not only at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant. The IAEA will remain present at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities to monitor and inform the world about developments. We will continue to do everything in our power to help prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict,” Director General Grossi said.

At Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), the IAEA team there has over the past week continued to conduct walkdowns across the site, visiting its cooling pond, isolation gates, cooling towers, its outlet channel, as well as the outlet channel of the nearby Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant (ZTPP). No mines or explosives were observed.

The team has continued to request access to the rooftops of reactor units 1, 5 and 6, after in recent months being able to go to those areas of the ZNPP’s three other units.

The IAEA experts also need access to all six turbine halls together. However, they were only granted partial access to the turbine hall of reactor unit 1 on 23 October, five days after they received similarly restrictive access to the turbine hall of unit 4.

Maintenance activities are continuing to be performed on the safety systems of unit 6 after it was moved to cold shutdown earlier this month. Of the other reactors, units 4 and 5 are in hot shutdown to generate steam for nuclear safety related functions and heating for the nearby town of Enerhodar, while the remaining three continue to be in cold shutdown.

The IAEA team this week also visited the mobile diesel boilers that the plant has started operating as part of additional efforts to generate more heating during the winter, their usage depending on the requirements for steam at the plant and for heating in Enerhodar, where most staff live. Currently, four of the nine installed boilers are in operation. The experts observed that the boilers were in good condition, with fire safety labels on all of them. The team was also informed that a fire alarm system had been installed. The IAEA was also informed of 57 such boilers installed in Enerhodar, as well as two larger boilers at the ZTPP and one in its industrial area.

Regarding the supply chain and delivery of spare parts for the ZNPP – one of seven indispensable pillars for nuclear safety and security during the conflict – the IAEA experts were recently informed that the plant has adapted its procurement process to align it with that of the Russian Federation. In addition, they were told that supplies of consumables and spare parts are now delivered from the Russian Federation, covering about 90 percent of needs. However, the IAEA assesses that the supply chain logistics remain challenging.

During the past week, the ZNPP has been finalizing the closure of unit 3 reactor vessel, with the ongoing sealing of the reactor head, the IAEA experts said.

The IAEA teams at Ukraine’s two other NPPs – the Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs – and the Chornobyl site report safe and secure operations of these nuclear facilities despite the continuation of the conflict.

This week, the IAEA carried out its 30th delivery of equipment to Ukraine to support nuclear safety and security in the country. The state regulatory body, SNRIU, received survey meters with a neutron detection capacity and the SUNPP received portable dissolved hydrogen analysers, vibro-analysers, and related accessories. The equipment was procured using extrabudgetary contributions from Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom. With this delivery, the IAEA has supported Ukraine with nuclear safety and security equipment worth more than seven million euro since the start of the armed conflict.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The discharge of treated water from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) is progressing as planned and without any technical concerns, the Task Force set up by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed after its mission this week to review the safety of the discharge with reference to the international safety standards, two months after it began.

During the mission from 24 to 27 October, the Task Force – comprised of IAEA and international experts – reviewed the facilities and equipment installed at the FDNPS site for the purposes of discharging the ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) treated water. The Task Force also engaged in technical discussions with Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the plant operator and staff at the site, and reviewed available data and operational experience regarding the first two discharges that occurred from August to October this year.

During the mission the Task Force also met with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).

The IAEA’s comprehensive report issued on July 4 this year found Japan’s plan for handling the treated water to be consistent with international safety standards and that the release as planned would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment. It was a culmination of two years of work by the IAEA Task Force, which includes external experts from 11 countries – Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, the Marshall Islands, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States and Viet Nam.

“The IAEA’s comprehensive report was a significant milestone regarding the phase prior to the release, but it is not the end of our work,” said Lydie Evrard, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security. “The IAEA is now focussing on ongoing and long-term activities to review Japan’s continued application of the relevant international safety standards. The IAEA safety review, including monitoring and corroboration activities, will continue to proceed in an independent, objective, science-based and transparent manner, during the discharge and after.”

The four day Task Force visit was preceded by IAEA experts and international scientific observers conducting the first extensive sampling of the marine environment near FDNPS since the start of the treated water discharges. These samples will be used to corroborate Japan’s environmental monitoring and to confirm Japan’s capability to determine any changes in the levels of radionuclides in the marine environment since the water discharges began on August 24. This sampling, independent analysis and data evaluation work is one aspect of the Agency’s safety review.

During its visit to the FDNPS, the Task Force performed a walkdown of the water discharge facilities. Accompanied by TEPCO staff, the Task Force observed the tanks holding the water prepared for discharge, the transfer pumps driving the water through the discharge system, the emergency isolation valves and the control room where the process is monitored 24/7 by TEPCO staff. The Task Force also examined the radiation monitors and flow rate detectors feeding live data to the IAEA’s dedicated real time monitoring page.

Gustavo Caruso, Chair of the Task Force, said the technical assessment this week focused on the interface between the IAEA’s safety review prior to the discharge and now during the discharge. “Our comprehensive approach allows the Task Force to make direct observations on site to link what is happening now that the water is being discharged against our conclusions from the comprehensive report,” said Caruso. “No issues were identified during our visit to the facilities this week and we will continue our review to assess whether the IAEA’s findings from our comprehensive report remain valid.”

Conducting regular Task Force review missions is one way in which the IAEA will continue its multiyear safety review. IAEA Director General Grossi agreed in July with Japan that the Agency will also continue its monitoring and assessment of the process, to continuously staff the IAEA Fukushima Daiichi NPS Office, perform ongoing review missions, corroborate Japan’s source and environmental monitoring programmes, and continue outreach and awareness activities.

The main outcomes from the Task Force’s mission this week will be summarized in a report to be made publicly available by the end of the year.

Separately this week, Tepco reported an operational incident that occurred at the FDNPS water treatment facility on October 25. The Agency’s Fukushima Daiichi NPS Office remains in contact with the Japanese counterparts at the plant, to review the consistency of the measures taken by the operator with regard to the international safety standards.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Powerful explosions shook an area near Ukraine’s Khmelnitsky Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP) overnight, shattering many windows at the site and temporarily cutting power to some off-site radiation monitoring stations, once again highlighting the dangers to nuclear safety and security during the ongoing military conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

IAEA experts present at the plant in western Ukraine said air raid sirens went off at 1:26am local time, followed later in the morning by the sound of two loud explosions. They were subsequently informed that two drones had been shot down at a distance of approximately five and 20 kilometres from the site, respectively.

“This incident again underlines the extremely precarious nuclear safety situation in Ukraine, which will continue as long as this tragic war goes on. The fact that numerous windows at the site were destroyed shows just how close it was. Next time, we may not be so fortunate,” Director General Grossi said. “Hitting a nuclear power plant must be avoided at all costs.”

There was no direct impact from the drones on the site and the blasts did not affect the KhNPP’s operations or its connection to the national electricity grid. However, the shockwaves damaged the windows of several buildings at the site, including the passageway to the reactor buildings, an auxiliary building, a special equipment building, the training centre, as well as other facilities, the plant said. The seismic monitoring stations installed in the vicinity of the KhNPP also recorded the seismic impacts of the blasts.

The IAEA experts later observed some of the shattered windows at the site. The exact extent of the damage is currently being assessed by the IAEA team and further information will be provided.

A power outage in the nearby region of Slavuta forced two of the plant’s 11 off-site radiation monitoring stations to temporarily rely on back-up power supplies before external electricity was restored in the afternoon. Furthermore, as a result of damage sustained in the nearby town of Netishyn, some KhNPP staff were working from home, the plant said.

The KhNPP has two reactors, of which one is currently operating, and one is in planned outage since early August.

The IAEA was notified about these events also via the Unified System for Information Exchange in Incidents and Emergencies by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission said Australia has made significant progress in building a resilient and adaptable regulatory infrastructure for radiation safety. The team has also identified areas for potential enhancements, such as the completion of a national strategy on radiation safety. Noting ongoing activities to address consistency in the State and Territories radiation safety programmes, the team said further efforts were warranted in this area, which the establishment of a national strategy would support.

The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) team concluded a nine-day follow-up mission from 16 to 24 October to review progress of Australia’s implementation of recommendations and suggestions made during an initial IRRS mission in 2018.

The follow-up mission was conducted at the request of the Government of Australia and hosted by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), the Commonwealth Government regulator. Under Australia’s federal system of government, ARPANSA regulates Commonwealth entities and other entities are regulated by the respective regulatory bodies of the six States and two Territories. The majority of licenced activities in Australia are carried out under the supervision of state and territory regulatory bodies. The scope of the IRRS follow-up mission was the same as the scope of the 2018 mission, namely the regulatory framework for all nuclear and radiation facilities and activities in Australia, Emergency Preparedness and Response, medical and occupational exposure situations, and public and environment protection.

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.

Australia does not have any nuclear power plants. Its one research reactor produces radioisotopes for medicine, research, and industry. Radiation sources are used in facilities and in activities in the field of research, industry, medicine, and agriculture. The country has storage facilities for low and intermediate level radioactive waste and plans to establish a national radioactive waste management facility.

The IRRS mission interacted with the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency (ARWA), and all nine radiation safety regulators: ARPANSA for the Commonwealth of Australia, Queensland Health, the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority, Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services, South Australia’s Environment Protection Authority, Tasmania’s Department of Health, Western Australia’s Radiological Council, the Northern Territory’s Department of Health, and the Australian Capital Territory’s Health Protection Service.

The IRRS team said that since 2018, Australia has made significant policy decisions to broaden the radiation and nuclear safety framework. Following the announcement of the AUKUS trilateral security partnership (in September 2021) and the decision on the optimal pathway in March 2023 to acquire conventionally-armed nuclear-powered submarines, Australia announced plans to establish a new statutory Commonwealth regulator known as the Australian Nuclear-Powered Submarine Safety Regulator (ANPSSR). Additionally, in July 2020, Australia established the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency (ARWA) with the mission of handling the nation’s radioactive waste. During this time, the COVID-19 pandemic led to significant temporary resource constraints in the field of radiation and nuclear safety.

The IRRS team, comprised of seven senior regulatory experts from Canada, Finland, France, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States of America, and three IAEA staff members, conducted a series of interviews with ARPANSA, government representatives and the State and Territory regulatory bodies, and reviewed relevant reference material.

One of the most prominent challenges identified by the 2018 IRRS mission was the establishment of a national framework for radiation safety that ensures a consistent level of safety and protection for individuals and the environment across all jurisdictions, both in principle and regulatory practice. In response, a series of activities have been undertaken at both national and jurisdictional levels. The adoption by all regulatory bodies of a second edition of the National Directory for Radiation Protection (NDRP2) has laid the foundation for the adoption of nationally agreed radiation safety codes and standards but its implementation has not proceeded uniformly and promptly across all jurisdictions.

“The team found progress in how Australia is approaching challenges in radiation safety,” said Petteri Tiippana, Director General of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), Finland, and the IRRS team leader. “We underscored the importance of recognizing the substantial advantages of consistent regulation for public health, the regulated industry, and the efficient use of resources across the country as a whole.”

The IRRS team recognized that substantial progress had been made in response to the 2018 findings.  Out of the 23 recommendations and 12 suggestions, 16 recommendations and 10 suggestions have been successfully addressed and closed.

Two additional good practices were offered:

• ARPANSA has published on its public website the results of its assessment of leadership for safety and safety culture.
• The use of the newly introduced incident management system across ARPANSA for routine recording of health and safety incidents will ensure that staff are familiar with the system and will use it effectively to manage the response to a nuclear or radiological emergency.

“The follow up mission has provided an important evaluation of Australia’s progress since 2018, during what has been a challenging period globally,” said Dr Gillian Hirth, CEO of ARPANSA. “With the changing nuclear landscape in Australia, it has been valuable to demonstrate our strong commitment to radiation and nuclear safety and also the progress made as we work towards consistent radiation protection for all Australians. We are extremely thankful to all mission participants for lending their expertise to evaluate and advise on how Australia can enhance its regulatory frameworks in line with international best practice.”

In its report, the team said that to attain national uniformity in radiation and nuclear safety, the Commonwealth Government, in conjunction with State and Territory Governments, should take the following critical steps:

• Finalizing and implementing a national strategy for radiation safety.
• Encouraging and facilitating effective and efficient inter-jurisdictional collaboration in the development of regulatory activities.
• Considering binding mechanisms to guarantee consistent and timely implementation of the NDRP2.

The IRRS team offered additional specific findings to address the critical steps to attain national uniformity as mentioned above, noting that several 2018 recommendations that remain open are also related to the same topic. The review also demonstrates that significant challenges related to competencies and resources of all regulators identified in 2018 remain.

“The IRRS is an internationally recognized process that strengthens regulatory effectiveness. Countries that invite missions – including Australia – demonstrate openness and transparency,” said Hildegarde Vandenhove, head of the IAEA Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety, at the closing meeting held today. “By disseminating and sharing good practices and lessons learned, IRRS missions contribute to a stronger global nuclear safety regime. We are confident that Australia will implement the recommended improvements.’

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.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has increased the number of reactors in hot shutdown to two units and has also started operating mobile diesel boilers as part of efforts to generate more heating during the winter, including to the nearby town of Enerhodar, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

The ZNPP ceased producing electricity for the national grid in September last year. Since April 2023, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP) has kept five reactors in cold shutdown and just one in hot shutdown to generate steam to process liquid radioactive waste and for other safety related functions.

Ahead of the upcoming winter months, however, it started transitioning a second reactor, unit 5, to hot shutdown last week. The reactor reached hot shutdown early on 16 October, joining unit 4 in this operational status. Both are now providing steam for the site and district heating to Enerhodar, where many plant staff live.

The IAEA has been encouraging the ZNPP over many months to find an alternative source of steam generation and, as previously reported, the Agency experts at the site have been informed that the plant has ordered an external steam generator to meet its requirements, which would allow all six reactor units to be placed in cold shutdown. However, the installation of this equipment is not expected to be completed until the first part of next year. Ukraine’s national regulator, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU), issued regulatory orders in June to limit the operation of all six units of the ZNPP to a cold shutdown state.

The ZNPP separately informed the IAEA late last week that it had decided to close the reactor vessel of unit 3 – which had been left open and was being used as a reservoir of borated water in case it was needed.  Borated water is used for cooling the nuclear fuel in the primary circuit of pressurized water reactors and the spent fuel stored in pools. ZNPP has informed ISAMZ that there currently are sufficient supplies of such water on site.  The IAEA supports this decision of the ZNPP to close the unit 3 reactor because it strengthens the defence in depth, improving the nuclear safety status of the unit. The ZNPP has said it has no plans to put more than two reactors in hot shutdown.

Also ahead of the winter, the IAEA was this week informed that the nine mobile diesel boilers with varying capacity of between 1 and 6.5 megawatts – installed at the ZNPP and used for district heating also during the previous cold season – are being put into service again, with eight of them currently operating.

Following the detection of minor water leaks in two of the steam generators in unit 6, earlier this month, the ZNPP has successfully completed and tested the repairs of the identified defective steam generator tubes. The testing demonstrated that there were no water leaks detected in any of the four steam generators of unit 6. The ZNPP has now started planned maintenance work on part of the unit’s safety systems.

In the latest indications of military activities some distance away from the ZNPP, the experts have continued to hear explosions almost every day and they have also heard occasional machine gun fire.

The IAEA has been informed that the power supply to Enerhodar was cut for more than two hours in the evening of 18 October. It was not clear what caused the failure.  This follows reports that about a week ago an electrical substation was damaged, leading to some parts of the city being left without electricity and water.

Over the past week, the IAEA team has performed walkdowns across the ZNPP site, including in the main control rooms of units 1, 3, 4, and 6, the turbine hall of unit 6, the reactor buildings of units 1 and 3, the emergency diesel generators of units 3, 4 and 6, as well as within the site perimeter. No mines or explosives were observed during these walkdowns, the team reported.

As part of these activities, the IAEA experts also continue to closely observe the performance of the operating staff as the team collects more information about the status of staffing as well as the training and licensing of staff at the plant under the Russian Federation’s regulations.

Following the team’s visit to the rooftop of unit 2 earlier this month, the team has continued to request access to the rooftops of reactor units 1, 5 and 6. The IAEA experts also need access to all six turbine halls together. They were, on 18 October, able to access all floors of the turbine hall of unit 3 but were only allowed partial access to the turbine hall of unit 4 on the same day.

The IAEA teams at Ukraine’s three other NPPs and the Chornobyl site report safe and secure operations of these nuclear facilities despite the continuation of the armed conflict. The IAEA earlier this week conducted successful rotations of its teams at Chornobyl, and the Rivne, Khmelnitsky and South Ukraine NPPs.

The IAEA last week completed its 29th delivery of equipment and other items designed to enhance nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, providing dissolved oxygen analysers, sodium and gas analysers, as well as an oscilloscope multi-meter to the SUNPP. The equipment was procured using extrabudgetary contributions from Japan and the United Kingdom.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has completed an International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) mission in the Netherlands today. This peer review mission aimed to assess the country’s nuclear security regime and provide recommendations to enhance its effectiveness.

The thirteen day mission was carried out at the request of the Government of the Netherlands and hosted by the Dutch Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ANVS). It is the fifth such mission in the Netherlands.

The team reviewed the nuclear security regime for nuclear and other radioactive material and associated facilities and activities, including computer security. It also assessed the Netherlands’ implementation of the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) and its Amendment.

The IPPAS team – composed of 10 experts from Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America, as well as one IAEA staff member – met in The Hague with senior officials and representatives from the ANVS. The team also assessed physical protection systems at the Petten High Flux research reactor, the Netherlands Cancer Institute (Antoni van Leeuwenhoek) in Amsterdam and Applus RTD in Rozenburg.

The team observed that the Netherlands is committed to a high level of nuclear security and that it has further strengthened its nuclear security capabilities since the last IPPAS mission in 2012. The team provided recommendations and suggestions to support the Netherlands in further enhancing and sustaining nuclear security. Good practices were identified that can serve as examples to other IAEA Member States to help strengthen their nuclear security activities.

“This fifth IPPAS mission in the Netherlands confirms the country’s continuous commitment and efforts on building a strong nuclear security regime. The mission’s findings indicate a well-established national nuclear security regime and alignment with the IAEA nuclear security guidance,” said Arvydas Stadalnikas, Head of the Integrated Nuclear Security Approaches Unit at the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Security, during the mission closing ceremony.

“The 2023 IPPAS mission is an enriching experience for the ANVS, with a long period of intense preparation and two weeks of thorough review by a great team of international experts during the mission itself. The feedback helps us to further improve the level of nuclear security in The Netherlands,” said Annemiek van Bolhuis, chair of the board of the ANVS. “As an independent regulator, it is crucial to commit to international peer reviews and to follow up on the recommendations that we received.”

Background

The mission was the 101st IPPAS mission conducted by the IAEA since the programme began in 1995.

IPPAS missions are intended to assist States in strengthening their national nuclear security regime. The missions provide peer advice on implementing international instruments, along with IAEA guidance on the protection of nuclear and other radioactive material and associated facilities.

During missions, a team of international experts observes a nation’s system of physical protection, compares it with international good practices and makes recommendations for improvement. IPPAS missions are conducted both on a nationwide and facility-specific basis.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been informed that Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is transitioning a second reactor to hot shutdown to provide warm water and district heating, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

The ZNPP, Europe’s largest such facility, stopped generating electricity for the grid in September last year. Since April, it has kept five reactors in cold shutdown and just one, currently unit 4, in hot shutdown to generate steam to process liquid radioactive waste and to heat water for Enerhodar, where most plant staff live. Ahead of the upcoming winter season, it started transferring unit 5 to hot shutdown this week after carrying out safety maintenance and testing at this unit.

The IAEA experts were told that a decision regarding how long unit 5 will remain in hot shutdown will be made once Enerhodar’s heating systems have stabilized after the beginning of the heating season, which starts in the coming days. They were also informed that there are no plans to transfer additional units to hot shutdown.

The IAEA has strongly encouraged the ZNPP to find an alternative, external source of steam generation to cover its needs and allow for all the reactors to be maintained in a cold shutdown state, in part because the destruction of the Kakhovka dam four months ago limited the site’s supplies of cooling water.

The IAEA experts at the site have earlier been informed that the ZNPP has initiated a process to buy an external steam generator by sending technical requirements to possible vendors. However, the installation of this equipment is not expected until the first part of 2024, possibly not until after the end of the heating season.

As previously reported, Ukraine’s national regulator, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU), issued regulatory orders in June to limit the operation of all six units of the ZNPP to a cold shutdown state.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) peer review mission said Italy is committed to addressing the challenges of safely managing its radioactive waste. The review identified areas for additional efforts, including the swift approval of plans for a national repository for spent fuel and radioactive waste.  

The Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (ARTEMIS) review team concluded the ten-day mission to Italy on 10 October. The review was carried out at the request of Italy and hosted by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (‘MASE’).

The team engaged with representatives of MASE, the National Inspectorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ISIN), and the Italian state owned company responsible for the decommissioning of Italian nuclear plants and the management of radioactive waste, SOGIN, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Development (ENEA) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) Ispra.

The ARTEMIS review team comprised six experts from Canada, United States of America, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Lithuania, and France and three IAEA staff members.

Italy’s radioactive waste management responsibilities arise from decommissioning four nuclear power reactors and facilities from the country’s former nuclear power programme. All nuclear power plants were closed by 1990. Italy also manages radioactive waste from the operation of five research reactors, research laboratories and experimental facilities and from activities in medicine, industry and other uses.

Italy stores waste at temporary storage sites near decommissioned nuclear power reactors and other nuclear facilities. It plans to establish a national repository comprised of a near surface disposal facility for very low level and low level waste, a centralized storage for intermediate level and high level waste as well as a technology research park. The search for a suitable site is underway.

The ARTEMIS review team concluded that the Italian counterparts are aware of the challenges of safely managing the country’s radioactive waste and are committed to addressing them.

“Italy has thoroughly prepared for the ARTEMIS review mission, proactively shared pertinent information and engaged in constructive discussions. I am confident that the mission will support Italy in managing nuclear and radiological waste,” said ARTEMIS team leader Paul McClelland, Director, Waste Management & Technical Support at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited.

The team identified areas for improvements, including a formal approval for the national radioactive waste management programme, the development of a Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D) programme clearly linked to supporting implementation of the national programme, and the consideration of international experience in resource planning.   

The ARTEMIS Review Team identified concrete recommendations and suggestions, including:

• The Government should approve the 2023 National Programme, that includes geological disposal as a final destination for spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste.

• The Government should ensure that the process for authorization of closure of the planned near surface disposal facility requires update of the safety report as part of the application.

• The Government should take measures to ensure that the time constraints imposed on preparation and review of the safety case and safety assessment for the national repository will not compromise safety.
   
• ISIN should implement its own Research and Development programme to build its expertise to review safety cases for the activities in the National Programme.
   

The review also acknowledged Italy’s comprehensive training and development programmes for nuclear professionals as a good practice. 

“The ARTEMIS peer review has been an excellent forum for the exchange of experiences and lessons learned in an open and transparent manner. We are grateful that the review team recognized our efforts so far to establish a well-managed spent fuel and radioactive waste system. We are fully committed to addressing the recommendations and suggestions that have been highlighted, which will make an important contribution to strengthening our capabilities and valuable guidelines for further improvements,” said Mariano Cordone, Director of Nuclear Division at Ministry of MASE.

Anna Clark, Head of the IAEA’s Waste and Environmental Safety Section, said that Italy is clearly committed to the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. “Italy’s approach to this peer review mission has enabled open and fruitful discussions. This has allowed members of the ARTEMIS peer review team to share relevant experience, for example relating to time and resources required to plan for geological disposal.  We are confident that the findings will help Italy to further enhance the safe and effective management of spent fuel and radioactive waste” she said.

The final report from the review will be provided to the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security in two months.

About ARTEMIS

The Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (ARTEMIS) is an integrated expert review service for radioactive waste and spent fuel management, decommissioning and remediation programmes. ARTEMIS reviews provide independent expert assessments using teams of international specialist peer reviewers convened by the IAEA and are based on the IAEA Safety Standards, technical guidance, and international good practices. This service is intended for facility operators and organizations responsible for radioactive waste management, as well as for regulators, national policymakers and other decision-makers.

The IAEA Safety Standards provide a robust framework of fundamental principles, requirements, and guidance to ensure safety. They reflect an international consensus and serve as a global reference for protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. IAEA documents, such as Nuclear Energy Series publications, are also included in the review basis. They include practical examples to be used by owners and operators of utilities, implementing organizations, academia, and government officials in Member States, among others.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts were today granted access to the rooftop of reactor unit 2 of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) and did not observe any mines or explosives there, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said.

From the top of the building, the IAEA team could also observe the entire rooftop of its turbine hall as well as parts of the rooftops of the reactor buildings and turbine halls of units 1 and 3, also without seeing any mines or explosives, Director General Grossi said.

The team will continue making its long-standing request to also visit the rooftops of reactor units 1, 5 and 6 to monitor compliance with the five concrete principles for protecting Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP) during the military conflict in Ukraine, which state that it should neither be attacked nor be used as a base for heavy weapons.

Today’s development comes after IAEA experts on 3 August were allowed access to the rooftops of units 3 and 4, following reports that explosives may have been placed there. Also at that time, they did not observe any mines or explosives.

“After repeated requests in recent months, we were at last able to go to one more reactor rooftop. While this is a step in the right direction, we still need more access to assess adherence to the five principles, which were presented and gained support at the United Nations Security Council. We will continue to insist until this is granted,” Director General Grossi said.

The IAEA experts also require access to all six turbine halls to be able to confirm the absence of any materials and equipment that may contravene the five principles.  This request has not yet been approved and the IAEA team can only confirm the status of one turbine hall at a time.

Highlighting the risks facing the plant during the military conflict, the IAEA team at the site has continued to hear explosions almost every day. Usually, they appear to occur some distance away from the plant, but yesterday four blasts took place closer to the site.

“Without any doubt, the nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant remains highly precarious. We will continue to do everything we can do help prevent a nuclear accident during the war in Ukraine,” Director General Grossi said.

Of the ZNPP’s six reactors, five remain in cold shutdown, while unit 4 continues to be in a state of hot shutdown to generate steam to heat water for the nearby town of Enerhodar – where most plant staff live – and to process liquid radioactive waste.

As previously reported, Ukraine’s national regulator, the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine (SNRIU), has issued regulatory orders to limit the operation of all six units of the ZNPP to a cold shutdown state. In addition, the IAEA has been strongly encouraging the ZNPP to find an alternative source of steam generation to cover the plant’s needs and allow for all the reactors to be maintained in a cold shutdown state.

The ZNPP is continuing to conduct maintenance activities on unit 6 following its transition to cold shutdown earlier this month. The IAEA experts were informed that the site performed testing on two of the unit’s steam generators due to the presence of boron in the secondary circuit, which is an indicator of a leak, albeit much smaller than that found in one of the steam generators of Unit 4, which was subsequently repaired. In unit 6, the tests performed by the ZNPP identified small water leaks in one tube of each steam generator, which have now been repaired and testing is being performed to confirm the successful repair.

The IAEA experts are also continuing to monitor the water situation at the plant following the destruction of the downstream Kakhovka dam in early June. To find alternative sources of cooling water for the reactors and spent fuel, the plant has recently completed the construction of 11 underground wells which are together supplying around 250 cubic metres per hour, which the site had estimated would be sufficient to maintain the level of all 12 sprinkler cooling ponds, which have remained steady following some issues with their levels in late September.

Over the past week, the IAEA team has conducted walkdowns across the site, including within the site perimeter, in the main control room and reactor building of unit 5 and in the reactor building of unit 6. The experts have also observed testing of the safety system of unit 2 and maintenance activities on the transformer of unit 6. During these walkdowns, the team did not observe any new mines or explosives.

As part of these activities, the IAEA experts also closely observe the performance of the operating staff as the team collects more information about the status of staffing and the training and licensing of staff at the plant.

IAEA teams at Ukraine’s three other NPPs and the Chornobyl site report safe and secure operations of these nuclear facilities despite the continuation of the armed conflict.

The IAEA team based at the Rivne NPP said it had completed scheduled maintenance of unit 2, including the successful loading of a new type of fuel into this reactor. After it was re-started, the reactor was today reconnected to the grid.

Over the past week, the IAEA completed its 27th and 28th deliveries of equipment and other items designed to enhance nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, providing two Starlink terminals with associated equipment to the Khmelnytskyy NPP to support reliable communications to and from the site as well as a mobile helium leak detector with accessories for tightness control to the South Ukraine NPP. The equipment was procured with funds provided by the European Union, including the European Commission.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has demonstrated commitment to safety for all applications and occurrences of radiation sources in the country. The team recommended actions for improvement, including the establishment of a national strategy for radioactive waste management. 

The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission, the first to Saudi Arabia, was conducted at the request of the Government of Saudi Arabia and hosted by the Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory Commission (NRRC). The ten-day mission took place from 1 to 10 October 2023.

Using IAEA safety standards and international good practices, IRRS missions are designed to strengthen the effectiveness of the national regulatory infrastructure while recognizing the responsibility of each country for nuclear, radiation, radioactive waste and transport safety.

In 2018, Saudi Arabia’s Government announced its national policy for an atomic energy programme for peaceful uses, committing to achieve the highest safety and security standards in nuclear and radiation facilities, activities and practices.  The country uses radioactive sources in medicine, industry, research, and education and has an important Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) industry, areas that were the focus of this IRRS mission. The NRRC regulates all nuclear and radiological activities and facilities.

The IRRS team – consisting of senior regulatory experts from ten IAEA Member States, three IAEA staff members and one observer – met with officials from the NRRC to assess Saudi Arabia’s regulatory framework for radiation safety against IAEA safety standards. The IRRS team members observed the working practices during inspections carried out by NRRC at the nuclear medicine facility at Alhabib Hospital, the Sure Beam Middle East, L.L.C industrial irradiator facility, the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and a radioactive waste storage facility. The IRRS team members also visited NRRC’s environmental monitoring laboratories. The team noted that relationships between the regulatory body and authorized parties were constructive and open.

“Overall, we found that the regulatory programme of Saudi Arabia is well established, considering that it was only established four years ago,” said Paul Dale, from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in the United Kingdom and Team Leader for the mission. “The regulatory oversight of radiation safety is solid, established and progressing, the IRRS team welcomes the commitment of NRRC to continue to progress its regulatory systems and to continually improve.”

The team found that Saudi Arabia has adopted the policies, principles, and strategies to further continue the development of the regulatory programme for radiation safety and concluded that it is fully committed to safety in all applications of atomic technology in the country.

The IRRS team observed the following good practices:

• The establishment of a Joint Government Organizations Policy (JGoP) as a legally binding mechanism for ensuring legal division of labour to deliver effective joint working arrangements and coordination between the NRRC and other relevant government agencies and for the tasks and responsibilities to be clearly assigned to avoid any omissions, undue duplication or conflicting requirements.
• The establishment of a certified business continuity management system by the NRRC for maintaining the regulatory oversight of facilities and activities continuity of its critical regulatory functions in any disruptive or emergency situation.

The IRRS team also made recommendations and suggestions for the Government and NRRC which will enhance the effectiveness of the regulatory framework and functions in line with the IAEA safety standards, including:

• To establish a national strategy for radioactive waste management to outline arrangements for ensuring the implementation of the national policy.
• To consider establishing a competence framework led by the NRRC for building and maintaining competence in safety.
• To consider developing and implementing national comprehensive arrangements, with clear roles for relevant organizations, to search for and regain control over legacy of radioactive sources including orphan sources.
• To complete and implement a protection strategy for NORM exposure situations.
• The NRRC should formally recognize Technical Service Organizations in Saudi Arabia that may have significance for safety.

The IRRS Team also noted that the majority of the areas identified for further improvement were identified by Saudi Arabia itself in its self-assessment, made in advance of the mission.

“The NRRC values its strategic partnership with the IAEA and welcomes the conclusions of IRRS mission. The outcomes from the mission will help guide the strengthening of the regulatory framework for radiation safety and will be used to formulate the strategy of the NRRC for the following years,” said Khalid Aleissa, Chief Executive Officer of the NRRC.

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with NRRC as regulator made a big step forward in developing the regulatory framework for radiation safety,” added Hildegarde Vandenhove, Director of the IAEA Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety at the closing session today. “I am confident that the recommendations and suggestions highlighted during the review mission, will be considered and implemented.”

Background

General information about IRRS missions can be found on the IAEA website. The IRRS regulatory review process provides a peer review of both regulatory technical and policy issues and is suitable for any State, regardless of the level of development of its activities and practices that involve ionizing radiation or a nuclear programme. IRRS teams evaluate a State’s regulatory infrastructure for safety against IAEA safety standards. The teams compile their findings in reports that provide recommendations and suggestions for improvement and note good practices that can be adapted for use elsewhere to strengthen safety. Mission reports describe the effectiveness of the regulatory oversight of nuclear, radiation, radioactive waste and transport safety and highlight how it can be further strengthened.

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.