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IAEA Board to hold emergency meeting on Zaporizhia NPP
11 April, 2024
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors is to hold an emergency meeting at the request of both Russia and Ukraine to discuss attacks on the Zaporizhia (NPP), following a series of drone attacks on the plant.

Taking stock of the SMR promise
06 March, 2024
Taking stock of the changing discourse on SMRs within the nuclear community over recent years is yielding insights into the prospects for this suite of technologies. SMRs may or may not prove to be a successful standalone technology, but their promise for the nuclear sector and society goes much wider than that.

IAEA completes 13th rotation of experts at Zaporizhia NPP
08 November, 2023
A new team of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts has crossed the frontline to replace their colleagues in monitoring nuclear safety and security at the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP). This is the thirteenth such mission since the IAEA established its Support & Assistance Mission to Zaporizhia (ISAMZ) at the site in September 2022 to help prevent a nuclear accident during the military conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said. IAEA noted that, when the rotation of IAEA experts took place, there were Russian reports of drone attacks in the town of Energodar, where many plant staff live.

IAEA chief expresses concerns over military activity near Zaporizhia NPP
13 September, 2023
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Gross told a press conference during the recent Board of Governors’ meeting that he was very concerned about the situation at the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP). He noted that “artillery activity is almost constant”. IAEA experts based at the plant “have reported hearing numerous explosions over the past week, in a possible sign of increased military activity in the region that could also pose a potential threat to nuclear safety and security at the site, Grossi said in his latest update on the IAEA website.

Groundwork at Paks II extended by a year
18 August, 2023
Hungary’s Atomic Energy Agency (OAH - Országos Atomenergia Hivatal) has extended by a year, to October 2024, the permit allowing groundwork at the Paks II NPP construction site. Multiple press reports had attributed the delay to regulatory problems. Világgazdaság noted that the original permit for soil extraction was issued in October 2021, which would have allowed two years for the work to be completed. However, the paper said work could not start immediately, because extraction of soil, unlike the power supply and construction of offices, warehouses and assembly buildings, it part of the plant construction and therefore required a building permit. This was only issued in August 2022.

Kozloduy seeks licence for Westinghouse fuel
27 July, 2023
The Kozloduy NPP has applied to the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (BNRA) for a licence to use fuel supplied by US-Based Westinghouse. Currently the two VVER 1000 reactors at Kozloduy units 5&6 use fuel from Russia’s TVEL.

US legacy radioactive contamination revealed in St Louis
14 July, 2023
The US federal government and companies responsible for nuclear weapons production and atomic waste storage sites in the St Louis area in the mid-20th century were aware of health risks, spills, improperly stored contaminants and other problems but often ignored them, according to documents recently reviewed by The Associated Press (AP). AP, which is investigating the situation, says it receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy.

IAEA approves Japan’s plans to release treated water into the sea at Fukushima
07 July, 2023
An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safety review has concluded that Japan’s plans to release treated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station (FDNPS) into the sea are consistent with IAEA safety standards. In a report formally presented by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his recent visit to Tokyo the IAEA also said discharges of the treated water would have a negligible radiological impact on people or the environment.

Attack on Zaporizhia NPP may have been averted
06 July, 2023
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi says IAEA experts present at Ukraine’s Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) have in recent days and weeks inspected parts of the facility – including some sections of the perimeter of the large cooling pond – and have also conducted regular walkdowns across the site, so far without observing any visible indications of mines or explosives.

No weapons found at Zaporizhia NPP as tension mounts
04 July, 2023
Despite continued accusations from Ukraine that Russia is planning to “blow up” the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says its experts at the site “have so far found no visible indications of mines or other explosives”.

Poland’s MARIA research reactor to be upgraded
27 June, 2023
The Polish government is seeking to upgrade Poland’s only operating reactor, MARIA, located at the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ - Narodowym Centrum Badań Jądrowych) in Otwock, Świerk. This would ensure its continued operation after 2025 when its licence expires, until at least 2050.

Grossi meets with Russian officials as tension mounts around ZNPP
26 June, 2023
Following his visit to the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi visited Russia’s Kaliningrad for talks with Rosatom officials. Rosatom’s press service said that Grossi and Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev discussed safety measures at the plant.

Iran says no IAEA cameras are operating at its Natanz facility
21 June, 2023
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) has rebutted media reports that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Tehran had agreed to reinstall 10 monitoring cameras at the Natanz nuclear complex in central Iran. AEOI spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said the reactivation of IAEA cameras had taken place at a nuclear plant in Isfahan, which he defined as a “centrifuge manufacturing facility”. He said that Natanz had been incorrectly identified by various media sources as the site.

Grossi reports on situation at Zaporizhia NPP
16 June, 2023
Following a day’s delay, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi final reached the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) on 15 June, accompanying the eighth rotation of the Support & Assistance Mission to Zaporizhia (ISAMZ) which has been permanently stationed at the plant since September 2022. Grossi has strengthened the mission replacing two inspectors with four – specialists from Austria, France, South Korea, and Morocco.

IAEA Director General’s planned visit to Zaporizhia NPP faces delays
15 June, 2023
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi’s planned visit to the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) is facing delays. Grossi is leading the rotation of mission inspectors to the plant. He tweeted on 13 June: “On my way to Ukraine to meet President Zelenskyy & present a programme of assistance in the aftermath of the catastrophic Nova Kakhovka dam flooding. I will assess the situation at Zaporizhia nuclear power plant & conduct a rotation of ISAMZ with a strengthened team.”

Grossi reports to IAEA Board on progress in Iran
14 June, 2023
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has reminded the Agency at a recent Board of Governors’ (BOG’s) meeting that the IAEA has not been able to perform JCPOA verification and monitoring activities in Iran in relation to the production and inventory of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water and uranium ore concentrate for two and one quarter years, including the period after June 2022 when no surveillance and monitoring equipment was installed and operating.

IAEA to provide assistance to Ukraine following dam collapse
12 June, 2023
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it will provide vital assistance to Ukraine in coping with the devastating consequences of the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka dam. The breach of the dam caused a rapid drop in the water levels of the Kakhovka reservoir further complicating an already precarious nuclear safety and security situation at the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP). IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said this added to the importance of his already planned mission to the plant.

IAEA Director General to inspect Zaporizhia NPP in the aftermath of crucial dam destruction
08 June, 2023
“Today the Nova Kakhovka dam was severely damaged leading to a significant reduction in the level of the reservoir used to supply cooling water to the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP),” International Atomic energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told the IAEA Board of Governors (BOG) on 6 June.

IAEA resolves outstanding issues with Iran
06 June, 2023
Iran has resolved two outstanding inquiries from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) related to the presence of highly enriched uranium (HEU) particles at several sites. The confidential quarterly report by the IAEA, which is routinely leaked to the press, said inspectors no longer had questions on uranium particles found to be enriched to 83.7% at its underground Fordow facility. This had resulted in tension for the past several months although some resolution was achieved in March following a visit to Tehran by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. Iran had insisted at that time that those particles were a by-product of its current enrichment as particles can reach higher enrichment levels in fluctuations. “The agency informed Iran that, following its evaluation of the data, the agency had assessed that the information provided was not inconsistent with Iran’s explanation ... and that the agency had no further questions on this matter at this stage,” the report said.

IAEA chief unveils vital guidelines to prevent nuclear accident at Zaporizhia NPP
01 June, 2023
In an address to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) listed five basic principles needed to prevent a nuclear accident at the Zaporizhia NPP (ZNPP) as military activity increases in the run up to an expected Ukrainian offensive in the region.