Nuclear Energy Side Events at the 66th IAEA General Conference

The sustainability of the operating nuclear power plant (NPP) fleet is largely dependent on the fleet’s supply chain. In recent years, the number of available suppliers and differing standards have caused challenges for operating NPPs. Operators have identified harmonization of their interface with the nuclear supply chain as a key factor for economic and reliable operation of the existing and future NPP fleets. At this event, senior managers from international, non-governmental and nuclear operating organizations will present the progress achieved, discuss current efforts and share their views on challenges, opportunities and benefits of harmonization, as well as presenting practical solutions. Read more.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 28 September 2022, from 1.30 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR4, C building, seventh floor. For virtual participation, please register here.

This side event will present the progress of the IAEA Platform on SMRs and their Applications, including its medium term strategy, the SMR Portal, publication Small Modular Reactors: A New Nuclear Energy Paradigm, and the interregional project on SMRs and microreactors.

Member States will showcase how they benefit from the Platform, which provides a single access point for IAEA support on SMRs, from development and deployment (including non-electric applications) to safety, security and safeguards. The event will also present the 2022 edition of the Supplementary Booklet to the IAEA Advanced Reactors Information System reporting the advances in SMR technology developments. Read more.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 27 September 2022, from 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. in Conference Room CR4, C building, seventh floor. For virtual participation, please register here.

This event will present successful HR strategies and opportunities for nuclear leaders to create inclusive talent development. A panel of international experts will present best international HR practices. IAEA staff will showcase the IAEA’s experience and progress in outreach and gender parity. In line with the IAEA’s commitment to gender equality, as well as United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, the IAEA gathers and disseminates good practices to enable gender equality across the nuclear industry. Read more.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 27 September 2022, from 3.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. in Conference Room M7, M building, ground floor. For virtual participation, please register here.

This event will showcase the 2022 Edition of Climate Change and Nuclear Power, which focuses on Africa. Africa is expected to experience significant population growth, while enduring the impacts of climate change. Speakers from the region will outline perspectives and challenges on how nuclear energy can support the energy transition in their respective countries. Read more.

The finalists of the international student video contest on the “Role of Nuclear Technology in Addressing Climate Change”, will also be announced. 

This event will be held on Wednesday, 28 September 2022, from 10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. in Conference Room CR4, C building, seventh floor. For virtual participation, please register here.

The Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources (DSRS) Technical Centres concept, previously known as Qualified Technical Centre (QTC), aims to increase the worldwide capability and accessible resources to sustainably manage DSRS, by encouraging countries with well-equipped facilities and trained personnel to provide technical services for the management of DSRS within their country and abroad. Any public or private organization that would like to be reviewed as a DSRS Technical Centres, could request for the peer review mission to the IAEA through official channels. This side event will present the new IAEA peer review mission, DSRS Technical Centre (DSRS TeC), its approach and objectives, as well as experiences from the pilot mission. Read more.

This event will be held on Thursday, 29 September 2022, from 10.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. in Conference Room CR2, C building, second floor. For virtual participation, please register here.

The Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Information System

The Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Information System (SRIS) is a comprehensive platform that facilitates the sharing of information on national spent fuel and radioactive waste management programmes, spent fuel and radioactive waste inventories and facilities, as well as relevant laws and regulations, policies, plans and activities. Member States can benefit from SRIS, developed in cooperation with the European Commission and Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, for reporting, for example, on Joint Convention reports and Status and Trends in Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management reports.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 27 September 2022, from 10.00 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. at ESPACE M0E, M building, ground floor.

Development of E-learning on the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: From Uranium Exploration to Spent Fuel Management

The IAEA is developing several e-learning materials on the nuclear fuel cycle to support capacity building in Member States. This event will present a map of the e-learning materials already developed and in progress covering the whole fuel cycle: from uranium exploration to spent fuel management, nuclear fuel engineering and operation.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 27 September 2022, from 11.00 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. at ESPACE M01, M building, first floor.

Exploring Electricity Sector Decarbonization with PowerInvest

In this interactive session, participants will be challenged to set a country’s electricity generation mix, optimizing it for emissions reduction, and for costs and supply reliability, using the PowerInvest tool. Balancing these objectives with the need for sustainable use of land, water and critical mineral resources will also be explored.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 27 September 2022, from 1.00 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. at ESPACE M01, M building, first floor.

IAEA Resources for Technical and Statistical Information on Nuclear Fuel Cycle Activities Worldwide

This event will present the various resources available under the Integrated Nuclear Fuel Cycle Information System, including the World Distribution of Uranium Deposits Database, the World Thorium Deposits and Resources, the Post Irradiation Examination Facilities Database and the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities Database, as well as the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Simulation System, a scenario-based computer simulation system that uses simplified approaches to calculate fuel cycle materials, service requirements and actinide arisings.

This event will be held on Tuesday, 27 September 2022, from 3.00 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. at ESPACE M01, M building, first floor.

IAEA Coordinated Research and Operational Activities to Support Spent Fuel Storage

This event will present the results of the IAEA coordinated research projects (CRPs) on spent fuel performance and research and on ageing management programmes, which acted as vehicles for international research and development collaboration on the behaviour of spent nuclear fuel and systems during storage. It will also introduce the new CRPs entitled “SFERA — Spent Fuel Research and Assessment” and “Performance Assessment of Storage Systems for Extended Durations (PASSED)”.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 28 September 2022, from 4.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. in Conference Room M5, M building, ground floor. To join virtually, click here.

Keeping the Research Reactor Fleet in Good Shape: Ageing Management, Refurbishments and Upgrades

About half of the world’s operational research reactors are over 50 years old, while continuing to deliver their valuable services for science, industry, and health care. The event will present established practices, trends, and IAEA support to Member States in research reactor ageing management, refurbishments, and upgrades.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 28 September 2022, from 2.00 p.m. to 3.00 p.m. Conference Room M7, M building, ground floor.

IAEA Cooperation with Other International Organizations: Assistance to Embarking and Expanding Countries

This event will show how cooperation between the IAEA, the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) can benefit embarking and expanding Member States and their operating organizations in the pre-operational phase. The complementary roles of the IAEA’s Pre-Operational Safety Review Team reviews and WANO’s Pre-Startup Peer Reviews will be illustrated by the case studies of two Member States, which will present their experience in hosting the two different reviews. The engineering support provided by the IAEA and EPRI to operating organizations will be highlighted. This event is co-organized by the IAEA, WANO and EPRI. Read more.

This event will be held on Wednesday, 28 September 2022, from 4.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. in Conference Room M7, M building, ground floor.

Nuclear Hydrogen for Clean Energy Transitions: IAEA and OECD/NEA Perspectives

At this event, the IAEA and the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/NEA) will share the outcomes of their latest work on nuclear hydrogen as an enabler of clean energy transitions. The event will cover energy modelling activities; analyses of the competitiveness of, and business cases for, nuclear production of hydrogen; and current and future technologies for the large-scale production of low-carbon hydrogen using nuclear energy.

This event will be held on Thursday, 29 September 2022, from 2.00 p.m. to 2.30 p.m. at ESPACE M01, M building, first floor.