67th IAEA General Conference

The IAEA Passive Gamma Emission Tomography (PGET) system, for the underwater verification of spent nuclear fuel assemblies, was developed and tested with the support of Finland, Hungary, the Russian Federation, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States of America. PGET takes tomographic images to detect missing or substituted fuel pins, and to verify closed containers containing nuclear fuel. In the future, PGET will be used for the routine verification of spent nuclear fuel at Finland’s deep geological repository. During these visits to the Safeguards Equipment Workshops at the Vienna International Centre (VIC), IAEA staff together with their Finnish counterparts will exhibit PGET and present the associated data analysis functions.

Prior registration for all visits is required in advance. To register please send an email stating the visit you wish to attend, your first and family name, affiliation, and delegation.

The assembly point is at the Finnish exhibition booth in the Rotunda of the VIC from where participants will be picked up on Monday, 25 September at 12:00pm and Tuesday, 26 September at 3:30pm.

The IAEA Statute authorizes the Agency to establish or adopt standards of safety for protection of health and minimization of danger and to provide for the application of these standards. Since the first IAEA safety standard was published in 1958, they have served as the global reference for national regulatory systems and form the basis for several international legal instruments. This event, co-hosted by MT and NS, will be facilitated by DDG MT and will feature a panel discussion with DDG NS and other leading experts in the field to explore the evolution of the IAEA’s role in developing these standards, their practical use amongst Member States and evolution in their dissemination.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 26 September 2023, from 3.30 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. at ESPACE M0E, M Building, ground floor.

Belgium is one of the leaders in developing pioneering nuclear back-end solutions through next generation high-tech, low-cost decommissioning techniques, and via optimization of final geological repositories through transmutation of long-lived radiotoxic minor actinides, as planned by the MYRRHA project.  

This event will demonstrate that full sustainability of the nuclear supply chain is no longer a dream. The CYCLADE and RECUMO projects, and the upcoming Belgian final waste disposal concepts, are examples of the Belgian ambition for sustainable back end solutions. This event is organized by Belgium.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 26 September 2023, from 4.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. in Conference Room M7, M Building, ground floor.

A key challenge for Member States interested in the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) is the identification and assessment of suitable technology options to meet their national objectives. The IAEA Platform on Small Modular Reactors and their Applications is the focal point for the Agency’s activities on SMRs and their applications, and one of the tools offered to Member States is Nuclear Reactor Technology Assessment (RTA) methodology. This event will demonstrate how to perform SMR assessment using the RTA methodology, and the Advanced Reactors Information System (ARIS) database.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 26 September 2023, from 4.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. in Conference Room CR7, C Building, seventh floor.

This event aims to present the concept and structure of the training activities to be offered at the Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre (NSTDC). It will be accompanied by a visit to the NSTDC in Seibersdorf.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 26 September 2023, from 4.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. in Conference Room M4, M Building, ground floor.

The event will be also accessible virtually. 

Owing to growing energy demands and the need for secure and reliable low-emission electricity, several countries have recently expressed interest in exploring the nuclear power option. This event will present how the IAEA supports Member States to raise their general awareness related to the commitments and infrastructure required for nuclear power, even before entering Phase 1 of the IAEA’s Milestones approach.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 26 September 2023, from 4.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. in Conference Room M6, M Building, ground floor.

Member countries of the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC) will discuss the importance, opportunities and challenges for nations leveraging international and multilateral fora, and why such fora are critical in the current global environment. This event is organized by the United States of America.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 26 September 2023, from 5.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR3, C Building, seventh floor.

This event, organized by the United States of America (USA), will highlight the National Security Memorandum (NSM) 19 to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Terrorism and Advance Nuclear and Radioactive Material Security. This establishes new efforts by the USA to prevent non-State actors from acquiring WMD and weapons-usable nuclear and radioactive materials, while refreshing long‑standing approaches to nuclear security. A panel of senior government officials from the USA will outline key initiatives, priority areas identified in NSM 19 and opportunities for international cooperation, bilaterally and through the IAEA, to secure, reduce and eliminate nuclear and radiological materials. This event is organized by the United States of America.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 26 September 2023, from 5.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. in Conference Room M5, M Building, ground floor.

At this event, discussions will cover new reactor types, including Generation IV reactor pilot projects launched by several countries, which promise not only to be safer and cheaper, but also to produce less high-level waste. An expert panel will reflect on how lessons from our nuclear past can guide the future of nuclear waste management. Among the issues to be discussed are the challenges for waste management in the light of new reactor types, how these challenges can be addressed without repeating past mistakes, and which adjustments to existing safety regulations may be necessary. This event is organized by Germany. 

This event will be held on Tuesday, 26 September 2023, from 5.30 p.m. to 6.30 a.m. in Conference Room M7, M Building, ground floor.

This event aims to showcase successful examples of how nuclear techniques have been applied in agriculture in the Islamic Republic of Iran to tackle the triple challenge of food security, farmers’ livelihoods and environmental protection. The selected applications encompass various methods including the use of sterile insect technique, gamma irradiated vaccines for animals, mutation breeding, and improved agricultural practices. This event is organized by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, from 9.00 a.m. to 10.00 a.m. in Conference Room M7, M Building, ground floor.

This event, organized by Romania, covers the project Enhancement of Nuclear Safety and Security in Romania — Improvement of Disaster Resilience and Preparedness for Radiological and Nuclear Events, which was financed by the Norway grants. The general objective of this project was to improve Romania’s capabilities in preventing accidents or malicious acts in the nuclear and radiological field.

The main goals of the project included alignment of the national framework and regulatory practices with the latest international standards and European Union legislation in the field of nuclear safety and ionizing radiation protection. This event is organized by Romania.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, from 9.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. in Conference Room M6, M Building, ground floor.

This event will provide a forum for IAEA Member States to discuss challenges related to the development of a sustainable radiation and nuclear safety infrastructure in line with the IAEA safety standards and international good practices. The IAEA Secretariat will brief the meeting on the update of GNSSN development and cooperation with other forums and networks.

At this event, the winners of the Young Professionals Competition on Effective Nuclear and Radiation Regulatory Systems will present the innovative solution “Nuclear Ferris Wheel Application” and its future.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, from 9.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon in Conference Room CR5, C Building, seventh floor.

The event will be also accessible virtually.

This event will discuss the human resource development strategy as a key factor in nuclear education programmes for new nuclear power programmes. The Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) International Nuclear Graduate School has created advanced educational programmes that are tailored to meet the international requirements for newcomers and expanding Member States, while also fostering strong connections with the nuclear industry. This event will provide an opportunity to discuss the challenges faced by newcomers and expanding Member States in developing a human resource development strategy. This event is organized by the Republic of Korea.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, from 10.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. in Conference Room CR3, C Building, seventh floor.

This event aims to showcase the compelling characteristics of high temperature gas cooled reactors (HTGRs) in the context of net-zero carbon emissions, with the participation of industry leaders and the representatives of international organizations. The event will focus on demonstration programmes towards the realization of stable, large-scale, carbon-free hydrogen production as well as high temperature process heat supply utilizing HTGRs, and will provide a forum for IAEA Member States and interested parties to discuss how to facilitate the industrial use of HTGRs. This event is organized by Japan.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, from 10.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. in Conference Room CR4, C Building, seventh floor.

This event will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Asian Network for Education in Nuclear Technology (ANENT), which is the oldest education network supported by the IAEA, and present its achievements, existing capabilities and services, and future plans, and provide an opportunity to invite more members to join ANENT. The Permanent Missions of ANENT member countries and chairs of regional education networks will be invited. This event is organized by Indonesia.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, from 10.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. in Conference Room M5, M Building, ground floor.

This event will present the status and challenges of the CENTENA project, which aims to implement a centre with two main goals: to dispose of low and intermediate level waste; and to perform research, development and innovation activities to improve radioactive waste management in Brazil. The objective of this event is to make the project more visible internationally and to debate it with stakeholders. This event is organized by Brazil.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, from 10.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. in Conference Room M4, M Building, ground floor.

At this event, the United States of America’s National Nuclear Security Administration’s Office of Nuclear Incident Policy and Cooperation (NIPC) will present on resources for nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness and response (EPR). This will include reach back resources and a demonstration of technical resources and platforms that can be used during an emergency. The NIPC will discuss new courses related to capacity building for EPR and how to sign up for them. Finally, the NIPC will discuss cooperative partnerships to upgrade or enhance emergency operations centres. This event is organized by the United States of America.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 27 September 2023, from 11.00 a.m. to 12.00 a.m. in Conference Room M7, M Building, ground floor.