The IAEA Department of Nuclear Energy will host its regular Operators' Forum and four side events during the 68th IAEA General Conference, to be held in Vienna from 16 to 20 September 2024. The Department will also host four ESPACE events. Programmes of the side events will be published on this page as they become available.
Nuclear Operators' Forum: Pioneering the Deployment of AI Applications in Nuclear Power Plants
Artificial Intelligence (AI) opens new possibilities for enhancing nuclear power plants performance and human productivity. AI can be a driver of emerging technologies to transform nuclear power plant operation and to achieve our net zero goals. With investigations into the implementation of AI around the world, the panel discussions will consider the transformative potential of AI in shaping the future of nuclear energy and present valuable perspectives on the impact it is already having on our industry.
This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR3, C Building, seventh floor.
SMR Platform: Advances in Nuclear Technology Developments for Microreactors
The small size of microreactors, a subcategory of small modular reactors (SMRs) belies the massive impact they could have on future energy systems. Though they generate relatively little power, typically clocking in at no more than 20 MW(e), microreactors could address the challenge of powering remote sites and communities and be used in a wide range of non-electric applications. This event will look at the current state of microreactor technology, including marine-based nuclear power plants, and explore the prospects and challenges for near-term deployment. The event will also showcase the IAEA Advanced Reactor Information System and updates from the SMR Platform.
This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 9.30 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. in Conference Room CR4, C Building, seventh floor.
Creating the Future Global Nuclear Workforce through Exchange and Practice: Lise Meitner Programme and Beyond
Preparing for the clean energy world of tomorrow means training the next generation of professionals today. With its robust suite of capacity building initiatives, the IAEA stands ready to assist. This event will showcase programmes contributing to the development of the future nuclear workforce, including advisory services, training courses and Lise Meitner Programmes. The Open-source Nuclear Codes for Reactor Analysis (ONCORE) collaboration framework for simulation tools will also be in focus as success stories for these and other initiatives are shared.
This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 10.30 a.m. to 12.00 noon in Conference Room M6, M Building, ground floor.
Powering the Future through Atoms4NetZero
Planning is the bedrock of all successful endeavours, and the push towards net zero is no different. Energy modelling can help show the way.
This event will explore insights from national energy modelling studies on clean energy transitions across the globe and highlight how the IAEA's Atoms4NetZero initiative can help countries to achieve their net zero objectives with nuclear power. Energy modelling can provide the foundation for energy plans built for the long term. Experts and stakeholders will provide insights and help illustrate how to foster cross-regional collaboration towards a cleaner, more resilient energy future.
This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 11.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR3, C Building, seventh floor.
Sharing Experience of Communities Hosting Nuclear Facilities
Transparency and open dialogue with stakeholders are vital to the long-term sustainability of nuclear power programmes. As hosts or potential hosts of nuclear facilities, local stakeholders have a unique role in nuclear power programmes. Although local contexts vary, host communities share a spectrum of concerns, needs and values. Addressing those concerns and needs is cornerstone for collaborative and trusting relationship throughout the life cycle of nuclear facilities. This side event will explore what it means to be a local stakeholder and how communities can work together with other stakeholders, including governments and nuclear industry, to enable the success of nuclear projects.
This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 3.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. in Board Room D, C Building, fourth floor.
Espace events
Planning for the Management of Spent Research Reactor Fuel and Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources for Non-Nuclear Power Member States: BRIDE and DSIDES
With several options including recycling and final disposal, deciding how to manage research reactor spent fuel and disused sealed radioactive sources can be challenging. Whichever route a country chooses to take, it’s important to have a complete understanding of the cost and effort required as early in the process as possible. This event will illustrate why this is the case and explain how IAEA tools, including BRIDE and DSIDES, can support the decision-making process.
This event will be held on Tuesday, 17 September 2024, from 11.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. at ESPACE M0E, M Building, ground floor.
Innovative Technologies for Nuclear Information Management
The event will discuss present and anticipated applications of machine learning and related technologies in handling nuclear information. An illustration of current utilization will be provided through INIS's NADIA project, which is used in the categorization and indexing of scientific papers. Additionally, discussions will extend to potential applications of NADIA (and similar technologies) beyond the scope of the IAEA. Future prospects, including advanced techniques like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and critical evaluations of the limitations and considerations surrounding current Large Language Models will also be explored.
This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. at ESPACE M01, M Building, first floor.
Enhanced Support for Member States to Perform a Self-evaluation of their Nuclear Power Infrastructure
For countries considering or embarking on nuclear power programmes, conducting self-evaluations can be an arduous – yet critically important – process. The Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) service is an effective way of identifying the infrastructure areas needing further development. Performing a well-documented self-evaluation has proven to be a challenge for many countries among the 37 INIR missions performed as of today. During this ESPACE event, IAEA experts will introduce the development of an enhanced approach designed to support the self-evaluation process with improved guidance.
This event will be held on Wednesday, 18 September 2024, from 2.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. at ESPACE M01, M Building, first floor.
Financing Nuclear Energy for Low Carbon Transitions
This event will highlight takeaways from the 2024 edition of Climate Change and Nuclear Power, including key risks faced by investors when financing nuclear projects and characteristics of programmes which achieved construction and cost predictability. The presentation will cover examples of financing approaches for the construction of both large reactors and SMRs, as well as lifetime extensions of existing plants and special considerations for emerging markets and developing economies.
This event will be held on Thursday, 19 September 2024, from 3.00 p.m. to 4.00 p.m. at ESPACE M01, M Building, first floor.
For further information on the past IAEA General Conferences, please see the General Conference Archives.