Category: IAEA

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The sustained presence of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) has been essential to our ongoing efforts to reduce the risk of a nuclear accident amid the conflict, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said, as the IAEA approaches three years of continuous presence at the site.

Over the past week, the IAEA team at the ZNPP reported hearing military activities almost every day, and the IAEA teams present at the Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs and the Chornobyl NPP site heard air raid alarms nearly every day, as well.

On Thursday morning, the IAEA team at Chornobyl was awakened by the sound of multiple explosions. They were later informed that several drones were detected above the Exclusion Zone, approximately 5 kilometres from the site, and the sounds the team heard were anti-aircraft fire.

“My position remains unchanged. I’m deeply concerned about the increased frequency of reported drone activity near nuclear facilities,” Director General Grossi said. “I renew my call for maximum military restraint to prevent a nuclear accident.”

Over the weekend, the IAEA team based at the ZNPP was informed of a newly constructed dam to isolate one of ZNPP’s channels from its cooling pond. This channel currently supplies water for the cooling of several plant systems, such as unit transformers that provide power to the site’s six reactor units, which is needed for the operation of their safety systems.

The ZNPP’s six reactors have been in cold shutdown since spring 2024 but still require cooling water for their safety systems, reactor cores and spent fuel pools. While the ZNPP continues to use water from the groundwater wells on site for the cooling of these essential services, the dam was constructed to preserve the water in the channel to provide cooling for other plant systems that are needed to maintain the ZNPP in safe shutdown for extended periods of time.

The IAEA team has also been informed that the site is pumping water from the cooling pond into the isolated part of this channel and that the current water level in the channel is more than a meter above the point where cooling pumps would cease to operate. The ZNPP is also considering other options for supplying power to its reactor units to maintain the operation of its safety systems, as well as other measures for the cooling of the unit transformers.

“This underscores the ongoing challenges in ensuring reliable cooling water for the ZNPP’s six reactors and their safety systems needed to maintain long-term cold shutdown. The potential loss of cooling resulting from the depletion of the water in this ZNPP channel represents a real concern with respect to nuclear safety, which is a priority for the IAEA,” Director General Grossi said.

“The IAEA teams will continue to request access to the new isolation dam and will monitor this situation extremely closely,” he added.

The ZNPP has been connected to a single off-site power line for over three months. The IAEA teams will continue to monitor the external power situation, which continues to be extremely fragile. This is now the longest period of time when the site has not had a back-up power line.

At Ukraine’s three operating NPPs, two of their nine reactors are shut down for maintenance and refuelling, which includes work on some off-site power lines.

Over the past weekend, two reactor units had their power levels reduced due to grid limitations. Both have since returned to nominal power levels.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The most common cancer among women in Madagascar is cervical cancer, with a mortality rate of 30 per cent, followed by breast and colorectal cancers. In men, prostate, liver cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma are the most common cancers, driven by infectious diseases.  

The team assessed all elements that can impact cancer care in the country. These include factors such as governance, resources and regulatory frameworks for radiation safety, and components such as surveillance, referral networks, early diagnostic capacities, oncology workforce development opportunities, and readiness for advanced and expanded radiotherapy services.  

“The strength of the imPACT review lies in its analysis of the entire cancer continuum,” said Laurent Musango, WHO Representative in Madagascar. “The assessment reveals a solid foundation for integrating cancer control at the community level, and the potential for an overall strengthening of health systems in terms of prevention and early diagnosis.”  

The review found that Madagascar has been steadfast in boosting cancer services since a previous assessment in 2015. The country has expanded cervical cancer prevention, with pre-cancerous lesion screening already available and HPV vaccination set to start in October and has undertaken important efforts to modernize and distribute imaging services.  

The national health system also has an established and overall qualified health workforce, with six faculties of medicine available to train specialized health professionals – particularly in surgery, a critical aspect in cancer treatment.  

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Also in June, Tunisia transferred 50 brachytherapy needles and tubes from the Oncology Institute of Tunis, as well as 75 foils formerly used in lightning rods. Like all previous transfers, the operation in Tunisia was conducted in accordance with strict safety protocols, with no contamination detected throughout the process.  

“The operational strategy was developed based on the experience gained from the removal and repatriation of six disused cobalt-60 sources performed from 2022 to 2024 with support from the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Radiological Security,” said Latifa Ben Omrane, Director General of Tunisia’s National Centre for Radiation Protection (CNRP). “This radium-226 source transfer operation was successfully conducted thanks to effective coordination among several organizations, including the CNRP, the Ministry of Health, local logistics and transport company, customs and airport staff and the IAEA.” 

Several more transfers are planned for 2025 from countries including Croatia, the Dominican Republic, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Philippines and Zimbabwe.     

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The deadline for interested contributors to submit synopses for the IAEA’s International Conference on the Safe and Secure Transport of Nuclear and Radioactive Material has been extended to 30 September 2025

The IAEA estimates that 20 million shipments of radioactive material are transported every year. These materials are shipped nationally and internationally by road, rail, sea, air and inland waterways for applications such as medicine and health, agriculture, nuclear power generation and advanced scientific research. 

The conference, to be hosted in Vienna, Austria from 23 to 27 March 2026, will cover the legislative and regulatory framework for the transport of nuclear and other radioactive material, safety and security by design; safety and security during transport operations. It builds on previous events held in 2011 and 2021.

“For decades, IAEA safety standards have been the backbone for the safe transport of radioactive material. With rapid technological advances in the nuclear and transport sectors, the global landscape is evolving — and fast. This conference aims to drive innovation, share experience and help strengthen the global standards,” said Shazia Fayyaz, one of the scientific secretaries and Head of the IAEA Transport Safety Unit in the Division of Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety.

“During transport, nuclear and radioactive material may be vulnerable to a number of modal specific risks and threats,” said Robert Officer, the other scientific secretary of the conference and Head of the IAEA Transport Security Unit in the Division of Nuclear Security. “The conference will further raise awareness through sharing experiences on strengthening safety and security capabilities, including on such topics as legal and policy frameworks, and technological and commercial trends for the protection of end-to-end transport.”

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The IAEA team at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) yesterday observed smoke while in the plant’s administrative building where its office is located, following reports of fire near the cooling towers, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

There was no impact to nuclear safety at the plant, no casualties were reported and, using IAEA monitoring equipment, the team members found no increase in radiation levels. During a walkdown today, the team observed burnt trees close to the cooling towers.

The team continues to investigate the event as part of its ongoing monitoring of nuclear safety and security at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP).

The IAEA team has been informed of multiple instances of shelling in the industrial zone next to the plant over the past week. The shelling was reported to have occurred close to the ZNPP, approximately 1.2 kilometres away from the site perimeter. While it did not have any direct impact on nuclear safety of the plant, the IAEA team at the ZNPP continue to hear military activities every day.

Over the past two weeks, the IAEA staff at the ZNPP have continued to monitor the site’s cooling water systems. The ZNPP’s six reactors have been in cold shutdown since spring 2024 but still require cooling water for their safety systems, reactor cores, and spent fuel pools. The ZNPP’s external power situation remains vulnerable, with the plant having lost the connection to its last remaining 330 kV back-up power line on 7 May, leaving it dependent on its sole 750 kV line.

The team received technical updates on water distribution across the site, including how water is fed to its nuclear safety and support systems. The team noted the increasing challenges of ensuring a reliable cooling water supply for the six reactors and their safety systems in their cold shutdown state, especially under current hot weather conditions, when the evaporation rate is high.

During the week, the ZNPP updated the IAEA team on maintenance activities at the plant. While no maintenance work is currently taking place inside the containment of any of the plant’s six reactors, the ZNPP said routine servicing is being carried out in non-reactor areas, including the turbine halls and transformers. Maintenance on two safety trains from different units is also ongoing.

Separately, the IAEA teams present to monitor nuclear safety and security at Ukraine’s operating NPPs — Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine NPPs – and the Chornobyl NPP site reported hearing air raid alarms nearly every day over the past week. At the Khmelnytskyy NPP, the team had to shelter on Monday.

Three of the total nine units at Ukraine’s operating NPPs at Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine remain in shutdown for refuelling and maintenance, including necessary maintenance on off-site power lines.

The IAEA team at the Chornobyl NPP was informed that the site plans to start temporary repair work on the New Safe Confinement (NSC) in autumn 2025. The NSC, built to prevent any radioactive release from the reactor unit 4 destroyed in the 1986 accident and to protect it from external hazards, was severely damaged by a drone in February 2025. The IAEA team was informed that the Ukrainian State regulator, SNRIU, is reviewing the documentation related to the repairs. The IAEA will support Ukraine’s efforts to repair the NSC, under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding signed during the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025, held in Rome at the beginning of July 2025.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Entries for the IAEA infographic design contest for young professionals aged 18 to 35 to raise awareness about emergency preparedness and response  in nuclear and radiological contexts can now be submitted until 31 August 2025.

Submissions should be compelling, original infographics inspired by the IAEA’s emergency preparedness and response (EPR) publications. Participating youth are encouraged to turn complex EPR concepts into engaging visuals to enhance public understanding and policy dialogue on EPR. Submissions will be judged on visual clarity, technical accuracy, originality, relevance to the conference themes, and overall impact.

“Explore IAEA’s EPR publications, which are filled with essential guidance for emergency professionals and the public. Unleash your creativity, win prizes, and gain recognition by joining our Youth Infographic Contest for EPR2025,” advised Carlos Torres Vidal, Director of the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre and Scientific Secretary of the Conference, to young people seeking to enter the contest.

“We want to see how this knowledge can be brought to life—taken off the page and transformed into clear, accessible visuals that help people understand the principles of emergency preparedness and response. This supports the aim of the EPR2025 conference: to ensure that emergency preparedness is ready to meet the evolving challenges of the future,” he added.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The meeting was attended by health professionals from a wide spectrum of disciplines and professions involving the medical use of ionizing radiation, as well as regulators, educators and researchers from 35 countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Latin America, and eight international organizations. 

Experts highlighted the importance of optimizing hybrid imaging protocols as well as patient dosimetry practices in therapeutic nuclear medicine. They noted the promising role of artificial intelligence in improving the accuracy and speed of dose calculations, which can be applied to enhance radiation protection. 

“We will work together on developing new IAEA publications and training materials to make sure radiation protection practices, guidance and training materials stay relevant and fully implemented, in particular with respect to new radiopharmaceuticals used in clinical trials and daily practice,” said IAEA Radiation Protection Specialist Vesna Gershan.  

Discussions also covered the need for enhanced training, qualified personnel, increased access to high performance equipment and dedicated dosimetry software in radionuclide therapy, and for assessment of non-standardized practices in medical facilities worldwide. Addressing these challenges would support efforts to improve adherence to safety practices and reduce exposure risks for patients. 

The meeting summary report containing all findings, challenges, conclusions and recommendations can be found here.  

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

“With this piece, I wanted to flip the narrative, because when it comes to nuclear energy, perception often overshadows reality. On the left, we see the classic fear: smoke, pollution, and the shadow of outdated ideas. On the right, we shift into colour, energy, innovation; where fission isn’t frightening, fusion is the future, and yes, even bananas have radiation (but no one’s scared of those!).”

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The irradiator has been installed in a purpose-built facility at the International Centre for Environmental and Nuclear Science (ICENS), a research facility of the University of the West Indies,  which hosts the only research reactor in the Caribbean.

The new irradiator was procured by the IAEA through its technical cooperation programme and is now being used to also develop new varieties of ginger, yam and sweet potato — staple crops which not only contribute to food security in Jamaica but are also key national exports as irradiation can control spoilage and food-borne pathogenic mirco-organisms or insect pests without significantly affecting taste or smell. 

“In the short term, this facility will be integral to our efforts in crop improvement and integrated vector management [for insect pests],” said Charles Grant, Director General of ICENS. “In the medium to long term, the multi-purpose irradiator will also be utilized for the shelf-life extension of seasonal crops and, in the health sector, we intend to make arrangements with the University Hospital of the West Indies to start sterilizing medical equipment and to assist with research on improving skin graft technologies.”

Industrial irradiators can expose any product or piece of equipment to radiation. This technology has applications across a diverse range of disciplines, industries and research areas, including food preservation, medical device sterilization, materials modification and cultural heritage. 

To help Jamaica leverage this valuable new tool to its fullest, before its installation, the IAEA led a series of national projects to build capacity in plant tissue culturing and screening – methods that would benefit from the irradiator. Alongside training courses and workshops, two research fellowships were created at the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre in Seibersdorf, Austria, which supported the development of new crop varieties using gamma and X-ray irradiation, as well as other advanced molecular techniques.