Category: Press Release

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

In my opening statement to the Board on 22 November, I reported that we had observed increased levels of activity at, and near, the Light Water Reactor (LWR) at Yongbyon, and also – since mid-October – a strong water outflow from its cooling system. These observations were consistent with the commissioning of the LWR.

More recent observations indicate that this water discharge is warm, which is also consistent with ongoing commissioning of the LWR, a process that takes some time for any new reactor. However, the discharge of warm water is indicative the reactor has reached criticality.  It remains the case that without access to the facility the Agency cannot confirm its operational status.

The LWR, like any nuclear reactor, can produce plutonium in its irradiated fuel, which can be separated during reprocessing, so this is a cause for concern.

Concerning the safety of the LWR, we do not have sufficient information to make an assessment. Of course, safety should always be the paramount issue when starting a new reactor.  Nuclear safety is a sovereign responsibility of the State and the IAEA supports the States in this area.

I repeat that the further development of the DPRK’s nuclear programme, including the construction and operation of the LWR, is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable.

I call upon the DPRK to comply fully with its obligations under Security Council resolutions, to cooperate promptly with the Agency in the full and effective implementation of its NPT Safeguards Agreement and to resolve all outstanding issues, especially those that have arisen during the absence of Agency inspectors from the country. The Agency is ready to engage  on any of the above issues, including safety.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is installing four new mobile diesel boilers to generate additional steam needed for various nuclear safety functions at the site, including for waste treatment, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

The IAEA team of experts present at the ZNPP observed the installation work during a walkdown last Sunday and were subsequently informed that the new boilers will be ready soon. The site currently has nine mobile boilers, eight of which are operating to provide heating during the winter.

“Nuclear power plants need significant amounts of steam to conduct important operational activities at the sites. This remains the case also for the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, even though it has not produced electricity for well over a year now. The IAEA has encouraged the plant to install diesel boilers for this purpose and we welcome the planned additional capacity,” Director General Grossi said.

Five reactors remain in cold shutdown, while unit 4 is in hot shutdown to produce steam and heat, including for the nearby town of Enerhodar, where most plant staff live.

Nearly three weeks after it suffered its eighth complete loss of off-site power during the conflict, the ZNPP remains connected to two external power sources: the main 750 kilovolt (kV) power line, and a back-up 330 kV power line.

The IAEA experts have over the past week continued to monitor the nuclear safety and security situation across the site of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP), conducting walkdowns to the reactor hall and electrical safety system rooms of unit 3 and to the main control room of unit 5, where they observed a successful test of the safety systems.

In recent days, they also went to the site’s 750 kV electrical switchyard, entry point for the off-site power needed at the plant, and the onsite water treatment facility. In another walkdown, they saw the ZNPP’s cooling pond, cooling towers, inlet and outlet channels as well as the outlet channel of the nearby Zaporizhzhya Thermal Power Plant. However, they were not allowed this time to access the isolation gate of the cooling pond.

Separately, the IAEA experts were informed by the ZNPP that they could not access the reactor rooftops as planned on 19 December due to security concerns.  No alternative date has so far been provided. The IAEA has previously this year been given access to three of the reactor roofs – of units 2, 3 and 4 – but not the others.

In addition, the IAEA team was once again not granted access to the north-western part of the turbine hall of reactor unit 5 during a walkdown there last Monday, despite a request made before the visit. The IAEA has not been able to visit the north-western part of any of the six turbine halls since mid-October.

The team continues to pay close attention to the maintenance situation at the plant, particularly the maintenance plan for next year, and also to the electrical equipment related to the safety systems of the reactor units following a power loss at unit 6 in mid-November. The IAEA experts have been informed that the 2024 maintenance plan is almost complete, but they have so far not been able to study it as requested.

An unannounced fire drill was conducted at the ZNPP site on Wednesday morning, following last week’s emergency communication exercise. The drill scenario involved a hypothetical oil leakage at the transformer of reactor unit 2, which resulted in a fire. The drill’s participants included regional, city and on-site fire departments. The IAEA team was only made aware of the drill afterwards.  

As usual in recent months, the IAEA team has continued to hear explosions from outside the ZNPP site, including six powerful blasts on Wednesday evening.

IAEA experts at the Rivne, Khmelnitsky, South Ukraine NPPs and the Chornobyl site continue to report that nuclear safety and security is being maintained despite challenging circumstances. A successful rotation of IAEA staff took place during the week at the Rivne, South Ukraine and Khmelnitsky sites.

Last week, the IAEA arranged the 33rd delivery of nuclear safety and security-related equipment to Ukraine, using contributions from Australia. It was the first delivery under a new system requiring entities in Ukraine to register in the national electronic system as recipients of humanitarian aid.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts found that Belgium demonstrates commitment to the safe management of its radioactive waste and spent fuel, while also noting opportunities to enhance the national policies and arrangements for eventual disposal.

The Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (ARTEMIS) team this week concluded an eleven-day mission to Belgium. The mission was carried out from 3 to 13 December at the request of Belgium and hosted by ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Belgian National Agency for Radioactive Waste and Enriched Fissile Material management.

Belgium manages high-level waste from the five nuclear reactors in operation today in the Doel and Tihange nuclear power plants (NPPs) which provided in 2022 roughly 47,3 per cent of the country’s electricity. Waste is also managed from the additional two reactors which have been permanently shut down. Belgium delayed plans to close its nuclear reactors by 2025 and reached a Government agreement with Engie – operator of the two NPPs – to extend operation of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors to 2035 and address the transfer of nuclear waste liabilities to the Federal Government.

Low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste is generated from the production and use of radiation sources in medical and industrial applications, as well as in science and research activities such as at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN). Waste is also generated from the decommissioning of research reactors such as BR2 and BR3 and the decommissioning of industrial facilities that covered almost all activities in the nuclear fuel cycle, including the Eurochemic pilot reprocessing plant, Belgonucléaire mixed-oxide fuel (MOX) fabrication facility and the FBFC International UO2 fuel fabrication facility.

Radioactive waste and spent fuel in Belgium are managed by the ONDRAF/NIRAS after acceptance. The Belgian National Programme for the Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste, adopted in October 2015, comprises a national strategy for the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste. It is expected that Belgium will publish an update of the National Programme in due time after the ARTEMIS mission and the finalization of the intermediate Government agreement with Engie to extend the life of Doel 4 and Tihange 3 nuclear reactors.

ARTEMIS missions provide independent expert advice from an international team of specialists convened by the IAEA to support a country with the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel. Reviews are based on the IAEA Safety Standards and technical guidance as well as international good practices. Results from the IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) mission to Belgium, conducted in June 2023, were taken into account by the ARTEMIS team during its review, where relevant.

The team was comprised of seven experts from Austria, Finland, France, Slovenia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as three IAEA staff members. The team met with officials from the ONDRAF/NIRAS, the Federal Agency for Nuclear Control (FANC), the SCK CEN, the Directorate-General for Energy, Synatom – the organization in charge of the management of the fuel cycle of Belgian nuclear power plants – and the Commission for Nuclear Provisions (CNP). One expert from the European Commission was invited to observe the mission.

The ARTEMIS team said that Belgium has established a robust national infrastructure for the management of radioactive waste and spent fuel and the implementation of decommissioning and remediation activities over the last decades. It found that ONDRAF/NIRAS demonstrates strong commitment to the long-term management of high-level and long-lived waste and spent fuel. This includes management of waste from historical radium production, spent fuel management options and the establishment of geological disposal plans for the preparation of a deep geological repository that will require continuing research and development activities and wide public consultations.

“The team saw that the responsible organizations in Belgium are strongly committed to the radioactive waste and spent fuel management. They have put in place a waste management system that is well adapted to the current situation and are preparing to take the necessary measures until the end of the life cycle of their nuclear facilities,” said the ARTEMIS team leader, Jussi Heinonen, Director at the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) in Finland. “Further progress is still needed in the comprehensive coverage of national policies guiding the implementation of the programme.”

The ARTEMIS Review Team identified good practices in the Belgian approach towards centralized management of all radioactive waste by Belgoprocess (a subsidiary of ONDRAF/NIRAS) contributing to the minimization of radioactive waste, as well as in the approach for remediation of the former Olen radium and uranium production site leading to waste minimization.

The challenges identified by the team to be addressed by Belgium in waste management include the need for consolidated policies for specific waste streams such as radium-bearing waste and spent fuel, and decision making on the geological repository. The team said the provision of adequate financial and human resources will be crucial to ensure timely implementation of such policies.

The main recommendations and suggestions provided by the Team included:

• The Government should formulate well-defined national policies on spent fuel management options and the management of radioactive waste from radium production.
• The Government should ensure that waste streams that are non-conforming – those requiring further processing – or have no clear end point should be included in the National Programme with proposed management options.
• The Government should establish a comprehensive geological disposal policy for the management of high-level waste and spent fuel and complete the process of establishing safety requirements and a licensing scheme specific to disposal facilities.
• ONDRAF/NIRAS should focus main resources on solutions that are technically feasible and internationally acknowledged for the long-term management of high-level waste and spent fuel of the Belgian inventory.
• The Government should consider enhancing the harmonization and justification of financial parameters to be used by all actors in the management of radioactive waste.

Hildegarde Vandenhove, IAEA Director of the Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety, speaking at the closing session on 13 December, said she was confident that recommended improvements related to the safe management of radioactive waste and spent fuel, such as to enhance the national policies and arrangements for eventual disposal, will be considered and implemented by the respective stakeholder.

“Belgium values the review and its outcomes in the current framework of our national programme where we have on the one hand significant recent evolutions and progress, in particular concerning the license for a surface disposal facility, the decision-in-principle for deep geological disposal as well as the launching of the project for radium-bearing waste, said Marc Demarche, Director General of ONDRAF/NIRAS. “But we are also facing important and difficult challenges for continued progress, in particular about the operationalization of the low-level waste repository or the pursuit of the deep disposal project”.

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

About ARTEMIS

ARTEMIS is an integrated expert review service for radioactive waste and spent fuel management, decommissioning and remediation programmes. This service is intended for facility operators and organizations responsible for radioactive waste management, as well as for regulators, national policy makers 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. Additional IAEA documents such as Nuclear Energy Series publications can be 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

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been re-connected to its only remaining back-up power line after it was suddenly lost two weeks ago, but the site’s overall supply of off-site electricity remains fragile and vulnerable to further disruptions, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

During the military conflict, frequent power cuts have remained a source of serious concern for safety and security at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP) as it needs electricity to cool its reactors and for other essential functions, even when all units have been shut down.

Earlier this month, the ZNPP suffered its eighth complete loss of external electricity in less than 18 months, caused by grid events outside the plant itself. Since 2 December, it has depended on a single 750 kilovolt (kV) line, until the back-up 330 kV line could be repaired and restored this week. Before the conflict, the ZNPP had four 750 kV lines available as well as several back-up options.

“Since yesterday, the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant once again has two alternative sources of external electricity. But we know only too well just how risky the power situation continues to be. Unfortunately, we can’t rule out more external power blackouts as long as this war continues,” Director General Grossi said.

Further underlining the potential dangers facing the plant, the IAEA experts at the site have continued to hear explosions relatively close to the plant, indicating ongoing military activities in the region where it is located.

Over the past week, the IAEA team has continued to conduct regular walkdowns, including to the plant’s temporary emergency response centre, dry spent fuel storage area, and the reactor building of unit 5 as well as to the main control rooms of all six reactors, one after the other.

On Tuesday, the ZNPP conducted an emergency communication drill, involving on-site and off-site representatives from different Russian organisations. The IAEA experts observed part of the drill. It was the latest in a series of emergency exercises conducted at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities, including at the ZNPP last month.

The IAEA team at the ZNPP again this week requested access to the 330 kV switchyard at the nearby thermal power plant to assess the situation regarding external back-up electrical connections there. As per previous requests, they were not granted such access this time either.

However, the IAEA team was informed that they will be able to access the reactor rooftops in the coming days. The IAEA has previously been given access to three of the reactor roofs – of units 2, 3 and 4 – but not the others. Last week, the experts were granted partial access to the turbine halls of all six reactor units.

The IAEA team is continuing to pay close attention to maintenance activities at the site, including actions taken by the ZNPP following last month’s detection of boron in the secondary circuit of a steam generator of unit 5. The IAEA experts were recently informed that the boron concentration levels in the secondary circuits of all the plant’s 24 steam generators were within the established limits, and that no further action would be taken at this time.

Of the site’s six reactors, five remain in cold shutdown, while unit 4 is in hot shutdown to produce steam and heat, including for the nearby town of Enerhodar, where most plant staff live. The ZNPP has informed the IAEA that there are currently no plans to return unit 5 to hot shut down. Additional heating is provided by mobile diesel boilers installed at the ZNPP together with boilers located in the nearby industrial zone and in Enerhodar.

The IAEA teams of experts present at Ukraine’s Rivne, Khmelnitsky, South Ukraine NPPs and the Chornobyl site continue to report that nuclear safety and security is being maintained despite the challenging circumstances.

However, the IAEA teams at the Rivne and Khmelnitsky NPPs reported earlier this week that the mobile phone network had occasionally been disrupted in recent days. The teams were informed that the cause was a cyber attack on Ukraine’s communications network that affected most of the country. The IAEA experts were still able to carry out their work and communicate with headquarters in Vienna. Communications were also maintained between the NPPs, the national nuclear operator Energoatom and the state nuclear regulatory body. 

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OPEC Fund) have formally agreed to strengthen joint efforts in the area of nuclear science and technology for climate adaption and mitigation.

On the margins of this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and OPEC Fund Director General Abdulhamid Alkhalifa signed Practical Arrangements on Cooperation in the Area of Climate Adaptation to enhance collaborative efforts by both entities to develop and implement joint projects on climate adaptation.

Under the framework of the agreement, the OPEC Fund will support the establishment of a global seed bank to collect, store, and preserve seeds that have characteristics that can withstand new climate conditions, including seeds developed through application of nuclear techniques for plant breeding and soil and water management. The IAEA provides expertise and assistance in the application of nuclear techniques in these areas supporting climate-smart agriculture. By using nuclear techniques, such as plant mutation breeding, scientists can accelerate the natural evolution of plants using irradiation of seeds to help create new varieties with desirable traits adapted to climate change. Seed banks ensure these new varieties can be used in areas where crops are battling the effects of climate change throughout the globe.

The IAEA and the OPEC Fund have been collaborating since 1989, and the OPEC Fund has already provided more than 2.4 million dollars to IAEA activities in the fields of health and agriculture. Most recently, the IAEA worked with the OPEC Fund in 2018 to help improve rice harvests in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Nepal, and to help prevent the spread of animal diseases through capacity building in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has for several days depended on a single power line for the off-site electricity it needs to cool its six reactors and for other essential nuclear safety and security functions, leaving it highly vulnerable to any further grid disruptions during the military conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

The site’s fragile power supplies continue to be at the centre of concern regarding nuclear safety and security at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP), underlined by the site’s eighth complete loss of external electricity last Saturday after the separate connections to both of its remaining power lines were cut, apparently caused by external grid events outside the ZNPP.  As a result, the plant temporarily relied on emergency diesel generators for power.

It regained the connection to its main 750 kilovolt (kV) line after nearly five hours, but its last 330 kV back-up power line is still disconnected. The IAEA experts at the ZNPP have been informed that the repairs are expected to be completed by early next week. Before the conflict, the ZNPP had four 750 kV lines as well as several back-up options available.

The IAEA team also reported that reactor unit 4 – whose main cooling pumps briefly stopped running during last week’s external power loss – is once again in  hot shutdown mode producing heating and steam for the site and the nearby town of Enerhodar, where most plant staff live. The other five reactors remain in cold shutdown.

“The IAEA remains fully focused on doing everything it can to help prevent a nuclear accident during this devastating war. The repeated loss of off-site power at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, sometimes from causes at a considerable distance from the plant, remains one of our main challenges in this context, especially during the winter months. No one would gain from a nuclear accident and it must be avoided,” Director General Grossi said.

The ZNPP has also previously relied on one sole external power line, but it is clearly not a sustainable situation, Director General Grossi added.

Two days ago, a new team of IAEA experts crossed the frontline to replace their colleagues who had been monitoring nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP for the past several weeks. It is the fourteenth IAEA team at the site since the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to the ZNPP was established by the Director General in September 2022.

The new team of IAEA experts will continue to pay close attention to the staffing situation at the ZNPP, the status of the external power supply as well as maintenance activities at the site, including any actions the plant may take following last month’s detection of boron in the secondary circuit of a steam generator of unit 5. Borated water is used in the primary coolant to help maintain nuclear safety functions.

In a continuous reminder of the physical proximity of the conflict to the ZNPP, the IAEA experts continue to hear explosions in the distance, likely from heavy artillery and rockets. Today, the new team reported that they heard nine explosions closer to the site.

Also today, the IAEA team conducted a walkdown of the turbine halls of all six reactor units. The experts did not observe any mines, explosives, military equipment or vehicles in the areas they visited. Not all parts of the turbine halls were accessed so additional access would be required to fully assess whether there were any items present that could potentially impact nuclear safety.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the IAEA experts present at the Khmelnitsky, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs as well as at the Chornobyl site have reported that nuclear safety and security is being maintained despite the challenging war-time circumstances, including the frequent sound of air raid alarms at some of the facilities.

The IAEA is continuing to support nuclear safety and security in Ukraine with the delivery of much-needed equipment and other technical assistance. Last week, the South Ukraine NPP received the third and final delivery of spare parts and rubber products for the site’s emergency diesel generators, ensuring their operational readiness if the site were to lose external power. The provision of this assistance was organized under a tripartite agreement between the IAEA, France and Ukraine’s nuclear operator Energoatom signed in May this year.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts stated that the operator of Units 3 and 4 of the Bohunice Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Slovakia has demonstrated a commitment to operational safety. The team also encouraged the operator to continue improvements in areas such as the implementation of its leadership academy and maintenance work.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) lost off-site power overnight and temporarily relied on emergency diesel generators for the electricity it needs to cool its reactors and for other essential nuclear safety and security functions, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said today.

The ZNPP lost the connection to both of its external power lines – the eighth time that Europe’s largest nuclear power plant suffered a complete off-site power outage during the military conflict, heightening concerns about nuclear safety and security.

The IAEA team of experts at the site reported that the ZNPP’s connection to its sole back-up 330 kilovolt (kV) power line was cut around 10:26pm local time yesterday due to an external grid fault. It was followed around five hours later by the loss of the plant’s sole 750 kV line, its main supplier of external electricity. The cause appeared to be in the outside grid far away from the ZNPP.

As a result, the site’s 20 diesel generators automatically started operating.  ZNPP staff then reduced the number in operation to eight diesel generators, enough to ensure that the plant’s six reactors – all of which are shut down – have enough power for essential cooling.

The affected 750 kV power line – the only remaining main power line at the ZNPP compared with four before the conflict – was re-connected shortly after 8am local time today. After the re-connection, the eight diesel generators that were operating are being gradually shut down. The power supply is currently being provided by the 750 kV line with no external back-up.

“The most recent external power outage is yet another reminder about the precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the plant, which can be affected by events far away from the site itself. The IAEA continues to do everything it can to help prevent a nuclear accident. I also call on all parties not to take any action that could further endanger the plant,” Director General Grossi said.

The operation of the four main coolant pumps of one of the ZNPP’s reactors – unit 4 – was interrupted during the time of the off-site power loss. The unit is now being brought from semi-hot shutdown back to hot shutdown to produce heating and steam for the site and the nearby town of Enerhodar, where most plant staff live. The other five reactors remain in cold shutdown.

It was the ZNPP’s first complete external power outage since May 22 this year.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The world needs nuclear power to fight climate change and action should be taken to expand the use of this clean energy source and help build “a low carbon bridge” to the future, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a landmark statement supported by dozens of countries at COP28 today.

Announced by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi at a high-profile event of the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, it was the first time such an IAEA statement was issued, its broad international backing underlining increased global interest in nuclear power to tackle the existential challenge of a rapidly warming planet.

The statement is a further indication of a new momentum for nuclear power as a source of reliable low carbon energy, needed also to meet growing electricity demand and achieve sustainable economic development.

“The IAEA and its Member States that are nuclear energy producers and those working with the IAEA to promote the benefits of peaceful uses of nuclear energy acknowledge that all available low emission technologies should be recognized and actively supported,” the statement read by Director General Grossi said.

“Net zero needs nuclear power,” it said. “Nuclear power emits no greenhouse gasses when it is produced and contributes to energy security and the stability of the power grid, while facilitating the broader uptake of solar and wind power.”

Today, 412 nuclear power reactors operating in 31 countries make up more than 370 gigawatts of installed capacity, providing almost 10 per cent of the world’s total electricity and a quarter of its low-carbon supply. Several countries – including Bangladesh, Egypt and Türkiye – are building their first nuclear power plants, while many others have also decided to introduce nuclear energy. In addition, existing nuclear power countries, including China, France, India and Sweden to name a few, are planning to expand their nuclear programmes.

“Studies confirm that the goal of global net zero carbon emissions can only be reached by 2050 with swift, sustained and significant investment in nuclear energy,” the statement said.

It underlined the importance of innovations in the nuclear sector such as small modular reactors that aim to make nuclear power easier to build, more flexible to deploy and more affordable. In addition, “continuous plant life management and refurbishment ensure the ongoing safety and reliability of our existing fleet, allowing it to provide decarbonized energy to the electric grid and other sectors,” the statement said.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, nuclear power has avoided the release of some 30 gigatonnes of greenhouse gases. It can also contribute to addressing climate change in areas apart from generating electricity, notably in helping to decarbonize district heating, desalination, industry processes and hydrogen production, the statement highlighted.

“Resilient and robust nuclear power has the potential to play a wider role in the quest towards net zero carbon emissions, while ensuring the highest level of nuclear safety and security,” it said.

Director General Grossi said that “achieving a fair and enabling investment environment for new nuclear projects remains an uphill battle. We are not at a level playing field, yet, when it comes to financing nuclear projects.”

“Analysts widely agree that nuclear power capacity will need to more than double by 2050 for current climate goals to be reached. We will need even more capacity to go beyond the electricity grid and decarbonize transport and industry,” he told the IAEA Board of Governors last month.

In a further step to enhance the prominence of nuclear power, leaders from around the world will gather in Brussels in March next year for the first-ever Nuclear Energy Summit, hosted jointly by the IAEA and Belgium.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts based in Ukraine reported about military activity overnight that once again underlined potential nuclear safety and security dangers during the armed conflict, and not just at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP), Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

In western Ukraine, an IAEA team monitoring the situation at the Khmelnitsky Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) reported hearing several explosions in close proximity, over a 20-minute period late last night while in their quarters.

Even though the plant was not directly affected, the incident showed that all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants remain at risk as long as the war continues, Director General Grossi said.

“Much of the world’s attention – and rightly so – is focused on the very real dangers facing the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, which is of special concern as it is located on the frontline. But last night’s event serves as a reminder that we must not forget about the other nuclear sites in Ukraine, which are also potentially exposed to missile and other attacks,” Director General Grossi said.

“All of Ukraine’s nuclear facilities remain vulnerable, either directly if hit by a missile or indirectly if their off-site power supplies are disrupted. There continues to be a highly precarious nuclear safety and security situation across Ukraine,” he said.

At the ZNPP today, the team also reported an air raid warning at the site that lasted for about ten minutes in the afternoon. There was no impact heard by the team during the air raid warning, and there was no damage to the site. Over the last 24 hours, the IAEA team has continued to hear the sound of explosions some distance from the plant.  

At the other Ukrainian nuclear facilities where the IAEA has permanent teams – the Rivne NPP, South Ukraine NPP and Chornobyl site – the IAEA teams did not report hearing any military activities.