Category: Press Release

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) scientists and international scientific observers will visit Japan next week to take marine samples near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). The Agency’s samples will be used to corroborate Japan’s environmental monitoring and to assess the country’s relevant technical capabilities. 

This work supports the IAEA’s ongoing monitoring and assessment activities in Japan under the Agency’s overall safety review of the ALPS treated water discharges which is assessing whether TEPCO and the Government of Japan are applying the relevant international safety standards.  The results from the new samples will also be compared against samples taken last year to determine whether any changes have occurred in the levels of radionuclides in the marine environment since the ALPS treated water discharges began in August this year.

The mission will also provide samples for the Agency’s project initiated in 2014 to support the quality assurance of broader marine environmental monitoring by Japanese laboratories related to the decommissioning of FDNPS. Reports from this work can be found on the IAEA website.

From 16-23 October, the IAEA team will observe the collection and processing of seawater, marine sediment and fish samples from coastal waters in the vicinity of the FDNPS.

Two staff from the IAEA Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco, as well as experts from laboratories in Canada, China and Republic of Korea, will participate in the sample collection. The team will also take part in the sampling of fish from markets in the Fukushima Prefecture.

Identical samples will be sent to all laboratories participating in the comparison study and analysed for radioactivity. The results of the analyses done by Health Canada, the Third Institute of Oceanography, China, and the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety – members of the network of Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity – and those obtained by the participating Japanese laboratories, will be submitted to the IAEA for the evaluation of the results for any statistically significant differences, and publication.

Additionally, the IAEA Task Force conducting the safety review of Japan’s release of the ALPS treated water will reconvene and conduct its first mission to Japan since the start of the water discharges.  It is the next in a series of missions that began in 2021 and will continue throughout the IAEA’s safety review of the discharges. Media opportunities will be conveyed towards the end of this week.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today released its annual outlook for nuclear power in the coming decades, revising up its global growth projections for a third straight year.

In both its high and low case scenarios, the IAEA now sees a quarter more nuclear energy capacity installed by 2050 than it did as recently as 2020, underscoring how a growing number of countries are looking to this clean and reliable energy source to address the challenges of energy security, climate change and economic development.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi announced the new projections, contained in the annual report “Energy, Electricity and Nuclear Power Estimates for the Period up to 2050”, during the opening of the IAEA’s 2nd International Conference on Climate Change and the Role of Nuclear Power 2023: Atoms4NetZero in Vienna.

“Climate change is a big driver, but so is security of energy supply,” Director General Grossi said in describing the reasons for the improved outlook. “Many countries are extending the lifetime of their existing reactors, considering or launching construction of advanced reactor designs and looking into small modular reactors (SMRs), including for applications beyond the production of electricity.”

In the high case scenario of the new outlook, nuclear installed capacity is seen more than doubling by 2050 to 890 gigawatts electric (GW(e)) compared with today’s 369 GW(e). In the low case, capacity increases to 458 GW(e). From last year’s outlook, the high and low cases have risen by 2% and 14%, respectively.

In 2021, the IAEA revised up its projections for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan. Since the 2020 outlook, the high case projections to 2050 have now increased by 178 GW(e), a 24% increase. The report’s low case projections have seen even higher growth of about 26%.

Amid a rapidly transforming global energy landscape, intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical situation, and military conflict, the significant increase in the capacity forecast underlines how more and more countries view nuclear energy as a resilient, reliable and low carbon energy source. The report also reflects nuclear power’s importance in ensuring energy security to prevent future fluctuations in availability and prices.

Navigating the Challenges Ahead

Despite the optimistic outlook, challenges inherent in climate change, financing, economic considerations, and supply chain complexities persist and might hamper the industry’s growth. While international collaboration and other efforts are underway to overcome these obstacles, including the IAEA’s Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative (NHSI) to facilitate the deployment of safe and secure SMRs, much remains to be done to achieve a fair and enabling investment environment for new nuclear projects, according to the report.

“‘Nuclear energy or renewables’ is a false narrative,” Director General Grossi said. “Such false narratives are to the detriment of everyone, especially when it comes to achieving a fair and enabling investment environment. We are not at a level playing field yet. To get there, decisions need to be made from a technologically agnostic view that is based on science, fact and reason.”

Since it was first published over 40 years ago, the IAEA projections have been continually refined to reflect an evolving global energy context. Over the past decade, nuclear power development has remained within the range of projections described in prior editions of the annual report.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The tritium concentration in the second batch of diluted ALPS treated water, which Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) started discharging today, is far below the country’s operational limit, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts present at the site confirmed.

Japan started discharging the first batch of ALPS treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) on 24 August. It is released in batches and TEPCO began the process to discharge the second batch today.

Just as they did before the discharge of the first batch, IAEA experts stationed at the IAEA Fukushima NPS Office took samples from the second batch of diluted water on 3 October, after it was prepared for discharge. The IAEA’s independent on-site analysis confirmed – as it also did for the first batch – that the tritium concentration in the diluted water that is being discharged is far below the operational limit of 1,500 becquerels per litre.

The IAEA has committed to decades of independent monitoring and assessment at the site and at sea as Japan carries out the water discharge.

All future reports on independent sampling, data corroboration, and analysis activities will be available on the IAEA website.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is now once again using reactor unit 4 to generate steam for various safety functions at the facility after the repair of a water leak detected in mid-August, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

After completing the transition of unit 4 to hot from cold shutdown last Saturday, the ZNPP placed reactor unit 6 – which had temporarily been producing such steam during the repair work – in cold shutdown, which was reached yesterday morning.

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, including for processing liquid radioactive waste, and allow for all the reactors to be maintained in a cold shutdown state.

After it reached cold shutdown, the ZNPP began maintenance activities of unit 6, starting with its unit transformer and one of its safety trains in order to clean the heat exchangers. The ZNPP reactors each have three separate and independent redundant systems – known as safety trains –  comprising the units’ safety systems, which are normally in stand-by mode ready to activate if needed to maintain safety.

Separately, a new team of IAEA experts arrived at the ZNPP on Tuesday to replace their colleagues who have been there for the past several weeks, the twelfth such mission since Director General Grossi on 1 September last year established a permanent Agency presence at the site to help prevent a nuclear accident during the conflict in Ukraine.

“Once again, our experts have crossed the frontline to help ensure nuclear safety and security at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant which is caught up in the middle of the war. We should all be grateful for their determination to do everything they can to achieve this important task. Their presence is necessary to monitor the situation at the site and to provide impartial and timely information to the international community,” Director General Grossi said.

In a significant development for the IAEA’s mission at the site, Director General Grossi said the Agency had taken delivery of armoured vehicles acquired with extra-budgetary support from Japan. In addition, funding from Germany has enabled the IAEA to hire drivers and security personnel for these rotations.  

“These vehicles and dedicated personnel are essential for ensuring the safety of IAEA staff during rotations to and from the plant. They will also allow us to conduct our missions with full logistical independence,” Director General Grossi said. 

The new IAEA team continues to request access to all six turbine halls on the same day, one after the other, to be able to confirm the absence of any materials and equipment that may contravene the five concrete principles for the protection of the ZNPP.  This request has not yet been approved and the team can only confirm the status of one turbine hall at a time.

The IAEA experts are also continuing to request access to the rooftops of reactor buildings 1, 2, 5 and 6, which they had expected to be granted this week.

“We will insist until we get the access we need in order to monitor compliance with the five concrete principles for the protection of the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant,” Director General Grossi said.

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

The IAEA on Monday completed its 26th delivery of equipment and other items designed to enhance nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, providing the Rivne NPP with equipment for measuring the dissolved hydrogen concentration in primary water samples at the plant. The equipment was procured using Japanese extrabudgetary contribution.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) opened today a unique nuclear security training centre, the first international facility of its type, to support the growing efforts to tackle global nuclear terrorism.

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi officially opened the IAEA Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre during a ceremony at the Agency’s Seibersdorf laboratories in Austria, attended by representatives from 45 countries and territories.

The centre will provide more than 2000 square meters of specialized technical infrastructure and equipment for course participants to learn about the physical protection of nuclear and other radioactive material, as well as detection and response to criminal acts involving nuclear material and facilities.

“Nuclear security is one of the most important areas of our work to make sure that nuclear material never falls into the wrong hands,” IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. “The international nuclear security centre of excellence – opened today – is where experts on nuclear security and the physical protection of nuclear material from all over the world will be trained to hone their skills.”

Requests to the Agency for training in nuclear security have increased in recent years as more countries embark on nuclear power programmes and after the 2016 entry into force of the Amendment of the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM) – the only legally binding international instrument in the area of physical protection of nuclear material.

Over two floors, the new centre contains simulated environments, virtual reality tools and advanced software. It will provide hands on practice on nuclear security systems for the physical protection of nuclear facilities, information and computer security, nuclear forensics, major public events and other nuclear security areas of work.

“We are giving countries the tools to do nuclear better, safer and in a secure way”, added Director General Grossi.

The centre will welcome the first trainees next week for a course on security management of radioactive material, one of the 23 training courses and workshops to be offered.

“By building this new centre, the IAEA can offer unique training activities to address existing gaps using specialized up-to-date equipment, computer-based simulation tools and advanced training methods,” said Elena Buglova, Director of the IAEA Division of Nuclear Security.

The centre is part of a multi-purpose building that was built with over €18 million in extra-budgetary funding by fifteen donors, as well as in-kind contributions, bolstering the capabilities of the IAEA to respond to countries’ needs in capacity building for nuclear security.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) is preparing to once again use reactor unit 4 to generate steam for various safety functions at the facility, following repairs that put it out of action for several weeks, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

After the plant conducted hydraulic pressure tests on the primary and secondary cooling circuits of this unit, IAEA experts at the site said the ZNPP this week began transitioning it from cold to hot shutdown. Once this is done, the ZNPP plans to return unit 6 to cold shutdown. Unit 6 has been providing steam in hot shutdown since mid-August, after a water leak was detected in one of unit 4’s four steam generators.

While unit 4 was in cold shutdown, the ZNPP identified that the cause of the water leak was a hairline crack in the weld of the steam generator’s primary header vent pipe, which has now been repaired and tested. 

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 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, including for processing liquid radioactive waste, and allow for all its six reactors to be maintained in a cold shutdown state.

The IAEA experts were informed this week that the ZNPP had ordered the equipment needed to generate enough steam to meet the site’s requirements. The installation of this equipment is expected in the first part of next year, provided there are no supply chain delays, the ZNPP said.

“The IAEA has repeatedly been calling for an alternative steam solution so that all six reactors can be put in cold shutdown, as instructed by Ukraine’s regulator. I hope that the plant will implement this change as soon as possible,” Director General Grossi said.

In the latest indications of military activities some distance away from the ZNPP, the experts continue to hear explosions almost every day and have also heard machine gun fire, highlighting the risks to Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP) during the military conflict in Ukraine.

The IAEA team is continuing to look at the situation regarding ZNPP staffing, which has declined significantly since the beginning of the conflict and remains complex and challenging. This week, the IAEA experts have been gathering further information, including visiting main control rooms and the training centre where they discussed training and licensing.

As part of their walkdowns over the past week, the IAEA experts visited the turbine hall of unit 6, observing no military equipment there. The team noted during a walkdown within the site perimeter that some of the mines previously observed had been removed while some work was being performed on the interior fences.

The IAEA team is continuing to request access to all six turbine halls, one after the other, to be able to confirm the absence of any materials and equipment that may contravene the five concrete principles for the protection of the ZNPP.  So far, this request has not been approved and the team can only confirm the status of one turbine hall at a time.

The IAEA experts are also continuing to request access to the rooftops of reactor buildings 1, 2, 5 and 6, which they had expected to be granted last month. The IAEA is now awaiting approval for such access next week.

“As I have said repeatedly in recent months, we will continue requesting the access we need to implement our important mission, including for monitoring compliance with the five concrete protection principles designed to prevent a nuclear accident at the site,” Director General Grossi said.

Regarding the site’s water situation, the IAEA experts said the ZNPP had completed drilling another groundwater well to supply the site’s sprinkler ponds used for reactor cooling and other nuclear safety and security functions, bringing the total to 11 new wells as part of efforts to find alternative sources of water following the destruction of the Kakhovka dam almost four months ago.   

The 11 wells are 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.

However, the IAEA experts observed during a walkdown on Wednesday that the level of water in three of the ponds had fallen since the previous visit a few days earlier. At the time, the site was re-plenishing the three sprinkler ponds to return the water levels to normal. Today, the team conducted another walkdown of the sprinkler ponds and confirmed that the water levels of all ponds were within the operational limits. The IAEA experts are looking into the cause of the temporary water decline.

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 conducted successful rotations of its teams at Chornobyl, and the Rivne, Khmelnitsky and South Ukraine NPPs earlier this week.

The IAEA today completed its 25th delivery of equipment and other items designed to enhance nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, providing medical equipment and consumables to the Chornobyl site. This delivery was made possible using extrabudgetary contributions from the European Commission.

Separately, the second delivery of spare parts and rubber products for the emergency diesel generators of the South Ukraine NPP, envisaged under arrangements agreed on 5 May between the IAEA, France and Ukraine’s Energoatom, arrived at the site this week. These spare parts are essential for the maintenance and functionality of the diesel generators, ensuring they would work if the site were to lose off-site power. The first delivery took place in June.

In total, the Agency has now facilitated deliveries of nuclear safety and security equipment of more than 6.8 million euros to different organizations in Ukraine since the start of the armed conflict as part of its overall assistance programme.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has completed drilling of ten groundwater wells, bringing the plant close to having a longer-term solution for the provision of cooling water to the shutdown reactors after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam in June, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

Over 200 cubic meters of water can now be supplied to the sprinkler ponds that cool the ZNPP’s six reactors and spent fuel. The IAEA has been informed that the site intends to drill an additional well bringing the total to 11 wells which is hoped to provide the approximately 250 cubic metres of water per hour to maintain the cooling of the reactors and spent fuel pools in the current shutdown state. The ZNPP cooling pond remains intact, containing a large volume of water that can also provide cooling to the ZNPP’s shutdown reactors for many months.

IAEA experts continued to conduct walkdowns of the ZNPP this week. The team visited the main control rooms of units 2, 5 and 6 where they observed that units 2 and 5 remain in cold shutdown and unit 6 in hot shutdown. In addition, the team visited the emergency diesel generators for units 4 and 5 and performed walkdowns within the perimeter of the ZNPP. The team did not observe any heavy weapons during their walkdowns but confirmed that the previously reported mines remain in place.

Staffing levels of the plant continue to be a concern with a significant number of staff having left the ZNPP since the start of the armed conflict, including licensed operators from the main control rooms. IAEA experts were informed by the ZNPP that recruitment of additional staff from Russian nuclear power plants (NPPs) continues and that they are being trained and licensed under the Russian Federation’s regulations. The IAEA team continues to gather information on the number and qualifications of main control room operators to better understand the situation.

The IAEA experts continue to confirm that radiation levels at the ZNPP remain normal after performing radiation monitoring using the IAEA mobile backpack system. The monitoring results are published on the IAEA’s International Radiation Monitoring Information System (IRMIS). 

There has been no change to the status of off-site power to the ZNPP, with the site receiving electricity from the last remaining of four original 750 kilovolt (kV) lines and from one of the six original 330 kV lines connected to the Ukraine electricity grid. The IAEA team was given no information about the possible restoration of other high voltage lines.

Underling the potential dangers for nuclear security during the conflict in Ukraine, the IAEA experts have continued to hear numerous explosions some distance away from the ZNPP.

IAEA experts at the Rivne NPP also reported that a blackout occurred in the morning of 21 September in the nearby town of Varash – caused by the emergency shutdown of the 110 kV power line that supplies electricity to the town from the Rivne NPP. The plant management says this may have been caused by missile attacks in the region. Power was restored within one hour and there was no impact on the safe and secure operation of the Rivne NPP.

“These reports are yet another reminder of the potential nuclear safety and security risks faced by nuclear facilities and to the staff of the facilities during the military conflict in the country”, Director General Grossi said.

This week, IAEA teams at Ukraine’s other NPPs and the Chornobyl site report safe and secure operation of the nuclear facilities despite the continuation of the armed conflict. All the teams at the four sites are due to rotate over the next week.

Also in the past week, the Agency arranged two deliveries of equipment to Ukraine, bringing the total number of deliveries to 24 since the start of the armed conflict. With these deliveries, Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs, as well as USIE Izotop, received various items such as IT equipment, medical equipment and supplies as well as laboratory equipment and nuclear security related systems. The deliveries were funded by extrabudgetary contributions by Canada and Japan. 

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts said that the operator of Units 1 and 2 of the Penly Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in France has demonstrated a commitment to operational safety. The team also encouraged the operator to continue improvements in areas such as the implementation of maintenance work.

The Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) concluded an 18-day mission to the Penly NPP on 21 September. The mission, which focused on two of the plant’s units, was carried out at the request of the Government of France.

OSART missions aim to improve operational safety by independently assessing safety performance against the IAEA’s safety standards by proposing recommendations and, where appropriate, suggestions for improvement. Safety is an essential element during commissioning and the subsequent safe operation of a nuclear power plant.

The plant, owned by the Electricity de France (EDF), is located close to the city of Dieppe in Normandy, 255 kilometres from Paris. Unit 1 started commercial operation in 1990, and Unit 2 in 1992. The two 1300 megawatt electrical (MW(e)) pressurized water reactors are amongst 56 operating nuclear power reactors in France. Nuclear power currently contributes about 68 per cent of the country’s electricity. This figure is expected to rise as France is constructing an additional reactor and plans to construct at least six more.

The 13-member team comprised experts from Canada, China, Slovakia, Germany, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and the United States of America, as well as two IAEA officials.

“We observed that the plant’s senior leadership team held safety as a priority and pushed for improvement in all areas,” said team leader John Duguid, Senior Nuclear Safety Officer at the IAEA. “The team also proposed areas in which improvements can be made to further elevate the plant’s safety performance.”

The team identified good practices to be shared with the nuclear industry globally, including:

• The updated plant information project (CONNECT) installed at the plant provides real time access to information and effective support to different function groups. This assists in operator monitoring, remote requests for technical assistance and management of emergent work.
• The plant installed a remote monitoring capability on safety critical seawater piping that helps in avoiding biofouling through optimising chemical treatment.
• The plant developed and installed a system for monitoring sedimentation in the cooling water intake channel.

The mission also provided recommendations and suggestions to further improve operational safety, including that:

• The plant should improve the implementation of processes related to the testing of the plants installed systems.
• The plant should improve its preparation, control and implementation of maintenance activities to ensure equipment reliability and personnel safety.
• The plant should consider improving the quality and planning of its periodic testing.

“The OSART mission enabled an in-depth assessment of the site and an enriching sharing of the best global practices thanks to the team’s combined expertise,” said François Valmage, Executive Site Manager of Unit 1 and 2 of Penly NPP. “The recommendations and suggestions will help us ensure a continuous improvement of the plant’s operational safety.”

The team provided a draft report of the mission to the plant management. They will have the opportunity to make factual comments on the draft. These comments will be reviewed by the IAEA and the final report will be submitted to the Government of France within three months. France intends to make the report public.

Background

General information about OSART missions can be found on the IAEA website. An OSART mission is designed as a review of programmes and activities essential to operational safety. It is not a regulatory inspection, nor is it a design review or a substitute for an exhaustive assessment of the plant’s overall safety status.

Follow up missions are standard components of the OSART programme and are typically conducted within two years of the initial mission.

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

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission said that Greece has established a good basis to ensure and enhance the safety of radioactive waste management. The review identified areas for additional efforts, for example, improving stakeholder involvement and securing adequate human resources for the safe management of spent fuel and radioactive waste.

The Integrated Review Service for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, Decommissioning and Remediation (ARTEMIS) was carried out at the request of the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (EEAE) and the review team concluded the eight day mission to Greece on 18 September.

Greece has no nuclear power plants and the 5 MW Greek Research Reactor-1 (GRR-1) located at the National Centre of Scientific Research “Demokritos” (NCSR “D”) is currently licensed for extended shutdown.

Radioactive waste in the country stems from the past operation of the research reactor and from industrial, research and medical applications. Spent and irradiated fuel from GRR-1 was returned to the country of origin. No plans for future management of spent fuel are foreseen. Further waste will arise from the decommissioning of GRR-1 and other facilities such as cyclotrons and waste management facilities. There is no disposal facility in Greece and radioactive waste is currently stored at an interim storage facility operated by NCSR “D” and at other licensees’ sites. Based on the classification of radioactive waste, Greece is considering engineered near-surface and borehole disposal facilities.

The ARTEMIS review team comprised four senior experts from Denmark, France, Portugal, and Sweden as well as three IAEA staff members. An observer from the European Commission also attended the mission. During the mission, the review team engaged in a series of exchanges with representatives of the EEAE and NCSR “D” to evaluate the Greek national policy and programme for executing the country’s obligations for safe and sustainable radioactive waste management. The ARTEMIS review team considered the findings from a previous IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) in 2012 and the follow-up review in 2017. In addition, the ARTEMIS review team visited GRR-1 and the interim storage facility at the NCSR “D” site.

ARTEMIS reviews provide independent expert assessments using teams of international specialist peer reviewers convened by the IAEA. They can cover all aspects and topics related to managing radioactive waste and spent fuel, decommissioning and remediation. Reviews are based on the IAEA Safety Standards, technical guidance, and international good practices.

“Greece has developed a national programme specifying central actions for the safe management of radioactive waste, in particular for safe predisposal management” said ARTEMIS team leader David Ulfbeck, Senior Advisor of the Danish Health Authority. “Implementation of planned actions in the National Programme will require extensive efforts, but we are confident that Greece is in a good position to undertake this task”.

The ARTEMIS review team identified recommendations and suggestions to improve the management of radioactive waste in Greece, including:

• The Government should develop a process for the inclusion of interested parties in decision making for the site selection of disposal facilities outside the NCSR “D” site prior to the issuance of the feasibility license.
• NCSR “D” should take measures to ensure the retention of knowledge and information and provide human resources with sufficient expertise, training and skills to implement actions in the national programme.
• EEAE should consider strengthening the national inventory so that it covers all radioactive waste in Greece together with waste anticipated to arise in the future.

“We are grateful that the review team recognized our persistent efforts and progress in building our national arrangements. We recognize that a number of challenges remain, and we are fully committed to addressing the recommendations and suggestions we received from the review team,” said Christos Housiadas, Chairman of the EEAE.

“In spite of some of the challenges highlighted during the review mission I am confident that recommended improvements related to the safe management of radioactive waste will be considered and implemented,” added Hildegarde Vandenhove, Director of the IAEA Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety.

The final report from the review will be provided to the Government of Greece 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 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

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts said the operator of two research reactors in the Islamic Republic of Iran has improved safety and implemented significant upgrades to modernize the reactor’s systems and components in recent years. The team also provided recommendations and suggestions for further enhancement of the operational organizational structure, safety documents and operational safety programmes.

The Integrated Safety Assessment for Research Reactors (INSARR) team concluded an eight-day mission today to assess the safety of the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) and Heavy Water Zero Power Reactor (HWZPR) research reactors in Iran against IAEA safety standards. The mission was conducted at the request of the government of Iran and hosted by the Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), Reactor and Nuclear Safety Research School, the operator of the two research reactors.

The five-member team comprised experts from Argentina, China and Jordan, as well as two IAEA officials. The team reviewed organizational and management aspects as well as technical areas including safety analysis, operation and maintenance programmes, radiation protection, and safety of modifications and experiments. The team visited the two reactors and associated facilities and met with NSTRI officials.

The MNSR and HWZPR research reactors are located in Esfahan, roughly 450 kilometres south of the capital Tehran. The 30 kilowatt (kW) MNSR was first commissioned in 1994 and is utilized mainly for education and training and neutron activation analysis – a method for the qualitative and quantitative determination of elements. Recently the facility was modified to include the installation of two vertical beam tubes for film-based neutron radiography – used to analyse the structure of a sample – as well as calibration of neutron detectors, and for prompt gamma activation analysis to measure elements.

The HWZPR was first commissioned in 1996, with a maximum rated power of 100 W and a normal operating power 10 W, and is utilized mainly for education and training programmes, research and development and applied nuclear science.

“NSTRI has shown a commitment to safety by requesting an IAEA INSARR mission”, said David Sears, INSARR team leader and senior safety officer of the IAEA’s Research Reactor Safety Section. “The recent facility modifications and safety enhancements should extend the service life and utilization of the reactors. The operating organization should continue improvements, including revision and updating of safety documents and operating procedures, to maintain continued safe operation of the facility in accordance with the IAEA safety standards”.

The IAEA team noted the effective implementation of refurbishment and upgrades to enhance operational safety performance, ageing management, and procedures for response to abnormal situations. It also observed improvement in the effectiveness of training and maintenance programmes.

The mission also made recommendations and suggestions for improvements, including:

• Enhancing the operational organizational structure by better clarifying the roles and responsibilities for safety and ensuring the independence of the safety committee from the reactor management.
• Reviewing and revising the procedures for modification of safety systems and components, as well as of implementation of new experiments.
• Reviewing and revising the operation and maintenance procedures in accordance with research reactor manufacturer recommendations, design requirements and operating experience feedback.

“We made a lot of efforts to ensure a high level of safety. I am glad to see that noted in this mission” said Dr. Seyed Amir Hossein Feghhi, the head of NSTRI. “We are grateful to the mission experts for their professional and valuable support as we are strive for continual safety improvement”.

NSTRI has indicated that they will request a follow-up INSARR mission in 2027.

About INSARR Missions

INSARR missions are an IAEA peer review service, conducted at the request of a Member State, to assess and evaluate the safety of research reactors based on IAEA safety standards. Follow-up missions are standard components of the INSARR programme and are typically conducted within two years of the initial mission. General information about INSARR missions can be found on the IAEA Website.

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.