In recent years more than a dozen countries with advanced nuclear technology capabilities have started developing various innovative nuclear power reactor concepts, which are expected to become commercially available in the next decades. These concepts are summed up under the term ‘next generation reactors’. While the various innovative power reactor designs differ considerably in concept, they will each have to follow a ‘safety by design’ approach and are expected to meet the requirements of the IAEA Safety Standards covering areas of nuclear power reactor design and emergency preparedness and response (EPR).
To facilitate this, the IAEA will hold a technical meeting on ‘Next Generation Reactors and Emergency Preparedness and Response’ at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, from 13 to 17 February 2017. At this meeting, EPR experts, nuclear power plant operators, regulators, new reactor technology developers and safety assessment experts will analyse the feasibility and complexity of the necessary off-site EPR arrangements and capabilities for the new era of nuclear power reactors. During the five days, these experts will share their experiences, debate and learn about challenges related to next generation nuclear power reactors and the extent of off-site EPR arrangements required for such reactors.
Presentations and discussions at the technical meeting will address the implementation of the IAEA Safety Standards on EPR for next generation reactor concepts and associated safety features, as well as current approaches in relation to off-site EPR. All Member States and international organizations participating in the Inter-Agency Committee on Radiological and Nuclear Emergencies are invited to participate in this meeting.
For more information, please visit the meeting webpage.
