At a time when close to 30 countries are interested in
establishing a new nuclear power programme, lessons learned in this
complex endeavour, including changing national position due to
political, economic, market and other factors, were discussed at an IAEA
meeting on the topic held last week.
The annual Technical Meeting on Topical Issues in the Development of Nuclear Power Infrastructure, held from 29 January to 1 February 2019 at the IAEA, gathered over 100 senior officials from national government organizations, regulatory bodies and owner/operator organizations in 41 Member States, international organizations and the IAEA.
In seven sessions, including three interactive panel discussions, participants heard updates from several new nuclear power programmes that are in advanced stages; learned about changes in national positions and their rationale; discussed challenges faced by nuclear energy programme implementing organizations, regulatory bodies and nuclear power plant (NPP) owners/operators, as well as the use of technical support organizations, human resource development, competency building and international support. They also highlighted how they benefit from the IAEA’s comprehensive set of services for embarking and expanding countries.
“The IAEA is working in an integrated manner to support nuclear newcomer countries in all aspects of developing a safe, secure and sustainable nuclear power programme,” said Milko Kovachev, Head of the IAEA Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section. “This ranges from establishing a national position on nuclear power to safety, security, safeguards and other aspects that need to be addressed in establishing the nuclear power infrastructure.”
“Safety of the nuclear power plant is a national responsibility,” said David Senior, Head of the Regulatory Activities Section at the IAEA. “It is an integral part of all national infrastructure issues and has to be part of a nuclear power programme from the early stages on.”
The IAEA’s three-phased comprehensive Milestones Approach, which enables a sound programme development process, has been used widely by nuclear newcomer countries. Since the start of the development of its nuclear power programme in 2007, same year when the IAEA published the Milestones document, Belarus has been closely following IAEA guidance, the meeting heard. The construction of the first unit of the Belarusian NPP in Ostrovets is nearing completion and a second unit is under construction.
The construction of the first of four APR-1400 units of the Barakah NPP in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was completed, and the other three units are close to completion. The NPP will supply 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs, once it is fully operational, meeting participants heard. The UAE has been closely cooperating with the IAEA on all aspects of its nuclear infrastructure development.
Other advanced embarking countries, i.e. Bangladesh, Egypt and Turkey presented the status of their NPP projects and lessons learned from the implementation regarding schedule, support from vendors, and good practices. A few Member States reported on the impact of changes in national energy policies due to political or economic reasons.
The annual Technical Meeting on Topical Issues in the Development of Nuclear Power Infrastructure, held from 29 January to 1 February 2019 at the IAEA, gathered over 100 senior officials from national government organizations, regulatory bodies and owner/operator organizations in 41 Member States, international organizations and the IAEA.
“The IAEA is working in an integrated manner to support nuclear newcomer countries in all aspects of developing a safe, secure and sustainable nuclear power programme.”“This meeting provided an excellent opportunity for interaction among embarking, expanding and operating countries, for sharing success stories and discussing challenges faced in nuclear power infrastructure development,” said Ian Grant, a senior nuclear expert from Canada, who chaired the meeting.
In seven sessions, including three interactive panel discussions, participants heard updates from several new nuclear power programmes that are in advanced stages; learned about changes in national positions and their rationale; discussed challenges faced by nuclear energy programme implementing organizations, regulatory bodies and nuclear power plant (NPP) owners/operators, as well as the use of technical support organizations, human resource development, competency building and international support. They also highlighted how they benefit from the IAEA’s comprehensive set of services for embarking and expanding countries.
“The IAEA is working in an integrated manner to support nuclear newcomer countries in all aspects of developing a safe, secure and sustainable nuclear power programme,” said Milko Kovachev, Head of the IAEA Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section. “This ranges from establishing a national position on nuclear power to safety, security, safeguards and other aspects that need to be addressed in establishing the nuclear power infrastructure.”
“Safety of the nuclear power plant is a national responsibility,” said David Senior, Head of the Regulatory Activities Section at the IAEA. “It is an integral part of all national infrastructure issues and has to be part of a nuclear power programme from the early stages on.”
The IAEA’s three-phased comprehensive Milestones Approach, which enables a sound programme development process, has been used widely by nuclear newcomer countries. Since the start of the development of its nuclear power programme in 2007, same year when the IAEA published the Milestones document, Belarus has been closely following IAEA guidance, the meeting heard. The construction of the first unit of the Belarusian NPP in Ostrovets is nearing completion and a second unit is under construction.
The construction of the first of four APR-1400 units of the Barakah NPP in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was completed, and the other three units are close to completion. The NPP will supply 25% of the UAE’s electricity needs, once it is fully operational, meeting participants heard. The UAE has been closely cooperating with the IAEA on all aspects of its nuclear infrastructure development.
Other advanced embarking countries, i.e. Bangladesh, Egypt and Turkey presented the status of their NPP projects and lessons learned from the implementation regarding schedule, support from vendors, and good practices. A few Member States reported on the impact of changes in national energy policies due to political or economic reasons.
