Category: IAEA

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Mr Grossi thanked Member States, IAEA staff and others for supporting the Agency’s nuclear safety and security work in Ukraine and spoke of the ongoing precariousness of the situation. 

“Three years ago, the IAEA took a historic step when we decided, in the midst of a war that risked the safety of many nuclear power plants, that the correct thing to do was to act and not just talk.” 

The IAEA has since deployed 217 missions involving 176 staff, ensuring a presence at all nuclear power stations, including the Chornobyl site, and has provided the international community with updates on the situation in Ukraine.  

The Agency continues to prioritize equipment delivery to support nuclear safety and security in Ukraine through contributions by 30 donor states and the EU with the delivery of 150 shipments, including of nuclear safety gear, medical supplies, and isotopic-technique equipment. 

The safety situation at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant and the Chornobyl sites remain precarious, he noted.  

At Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant for example, only one off-site power line remains, posing serious safety risk, and a long-term solution still needs to be found regarding the level of water in the cooling pond. Ongoing military activity, including attacks very close to the ZNPP site, are deeply concerning, adding stress and risk. 

At the Ukraine Recovery Conference, held in Rome at the beginning of July, the Director General signed an agreement with Ukraine to support identifying, designing, implementing, and testing the necessary repair activities on the Chornobyl New Safe Confinement. 

To avoid further degradation at the site over the winter months, temporary repairs are planned for autumn, pending approval and funding. 

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Building on Pakistan’s cooperation with the FAO and IAEA to produce new and improved plant varieties, the assessment mission highlighted opportunities to integrate advanced technologies such as genetic engineering, speed breeding and biotechnology into mutation breeding programmes for priority crops in Pakistan.

“[Pakistan has] used mutation breeding to create pest-resistant and drought-tolerant crops like chickpea, rice and cotton, we have employed nuclear techniques to improve soil fertility, we’ve reclaimed barren land, optimized fertilizer use for better yields and reduced costs, to give a few examples,” said  Muhammad Yussouf Saleem, Director General and Chief Scientist of the Agri- & Biotech Division of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and the national focal point in Pakistan for Atoms4Food. “The initiative will further expand our cooperation by engaging new partners and breaking silos across sectors with a whole value-chain approach.” 

Revitalizing Pakistan’s seed system will also help capitalize on the improved plant varieties developed with FAO and IAEA support. The mission team recommended that national institutions and stakeholders across the value chain be trained to scale up the distribution and use of improved seeds, making sure they reach farmers and translate into growing yields.

Soil degradation and inefficient use of water and nutrients further limit crop production — however, decades of cooperation with IAEA has supported Pakistan’s the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture & Biology in transforming salt-affected soils into productive farmland.

The Atoms4Food assessment mission found further potential to optimize and broaden the adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices in the country. This includes capacity building in efficient nutrient and water use practices, to enhance soil fertility and health, as well as reducing the carbon footprint of fertilization.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

With nearly one in eight people around the world living with obesity in 2022, the disease has more than doubled among adults and quadrupled among adolescents over the past three decades. This complex and chronic condition of excessive body fat increases the risk of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Yet despite its surge in industrialized populations, obesity is seldom seen in traditional and farming communities — a contrast commonly attributed to greater physical activity.  

At its root, obesity stems from an imbalance between calories consumed and the energy the body burns. Public health experts often point to two culprits — overeating and insurfficient physical activity. Yet the exact role each factor plays remain debated, since lower activity levels do not always translate into less energy expended over the course of a day. 

The lack of diverse, reliable data on calorie intake, energy expenditure and body composition has further complicated research. Past studies have tried to address the debate, but most focused on nonindustrial populations, lacked body fat measurements, or relied on limited information from country-level consumption data and surveys.   

To close this gap, 68 researchers turned to the IAEA’s Doubly Labelled Water (DLW) Database — a global collection of energy expenditure measurements that have been collected via the DLW stable isotope technique. With datapoints spanning 45 different countries, the database has previously been used by scientists to conduct groundbreaking research on human energy metabolism, develop a predictive equation to assess self-reporting and inform ongoing revisions of human energy requirements.  

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Nuclear safety remains highly precarious at Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) three years after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) deployed its first team at the site, as the risk of a radiological accident persists for as long as the conflict continues, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said today.

On 1 September 2022, Director General Grossi crossed the frontline to establish the IAEA’s presence at the site of Europe’s largest nuclear power plant (NPP). Since that time, 61 IAEA staff members have been deployed as part of 30 team rotations at the plant, many more than once.

“Their presence at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant is of paramount importance. In very challenging circumstances, they are closely monitoring nuclear safety and security at the site, enabling us to inform the world about developments there in a factual and impartial manner. It is crucial that the IAEA Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzhya stays as long as it is needed to preserve nuclear safety in these extraordinary circumstances,” Director General Grossi said.

Underlining the ever-present dangers to nuclear safety and security, the IAEA team at the ZNPP reported hearing explosions and other military activities on several days over the past week, coming from outside the site. Earlier today, the team reported hearing six explosions from very close to the site. No impact on nuclear safety and security was reported.

The extremely fragile off-site power situation and difficulties related to access to cooling water continue to be two of the most challenging areas for nuclear safety and security at the ZNPP.

For four months now, the ZNPP has been forced to rely on one single external power line for the electricity it needs to cool its six reactors in their current cold shutdown state and for other essential nuclear safety and security functions. Before the conflict, it had ten off-site power lines available.

The water level in the ZNPP cooling pond has dropped by just over 3.2 metres since the downstream Kakhovka dam was destroyed in June 2023, falling by almost 60 centimetres in the past three months alone. This recently prompted the ZNPP to build an isolation dam in the cooling pond channel that supplies water for several plant systems.

The IAEA team reports that the ZNPP is now using mobile pumps to transfer water from the main cooling pond into this cooling channel, whose current height of about 14.1 metres enables other pumps to provide cooling water to the main reactor unit transformers and other important operating systems.

“We will continue to monitor this matter very closely, as reliable access to cooling water is essential for nuclear safety and security,” Director General Grossi said.

Last weekend, the IAEA team performed a walkdown of another vital part of the ZNPP cooling infrastructure – 12 sprinkler ponds that receive water from groundwater wells that were drilled after the destruction of the Kakhovka dam. These ponds are providing water to cool the reactors and spent fuel, among other systems important to safety. The team confirmed that they are all full.

During the past week, the IAEA team also observed planned maintenance activities being performed on equipment that form part of the safety systems of reactor units 2 and 6.

The IAEA teams at Ukraine’s operating NPPs – Khmelnytskyy, Rivne and South Ukraine – and the Chornobyl site continue to monitor nuclear safety and security at the respective sites.

On Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, all IAEA teams reported air raid alarms. The team at Rivne also heard multiple rounds of gunfire and observed unidentified flying objects from their hotel, located approximately four kilometres from the plant. The site management informed the team that eight drones had been detected within its monitoring zone. The IAEA team members at the South Ukraine NPP were informed that three drones were identified two kilometres from the site. They were also told that one of its off-site power lines had been disconnected from the grid, reportedly due to damage.

Maintenance and refuelling activities are taking place at two of Ukraine’s nine operating power reactors. 

The team at Chornobyl conducted a walkdown of the New Safe Confinement, observing that debris as a result of the drone strike in February was being removed in preparation for the installation of temporary roofing, which is expected to commence later this month.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Mokhtar considers her greatest achievement to be the tangible impacts she has helped to drive, including advancements in global nutrition security, capacity-building programs in STEM, and seeing women she mentored through the MSCF Programme leading laboratories.

“When I visit Member States and see students applying these methods or meet women directing projects that once had no place for them — that’s when I know our work matters,” she said, her voice warm with conviction.

Her ability to take risks and be open to new experiences informs her advice to young scientists: “The unknown isn’t a barrier — it’s where the meaningful work begins. Had I stayed within expected boundaries, I’d never have discovered how nuclear science could address the malnutrition challenges I cared about.”

Mokhtar’s vision for the future mirrors her own journey — creating systems that outlast individual involvement. She champions sustainable training programmes that empower countries to adapt nuclear technologies to their evolving needs, and advocates fiercely for initiatives like the Lise Meitner Programme that dismantle barriers for women in STEM. “Real progress, comes when we stop creating single opportunities and start building ecosystems of access,” she concluded.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors will convene its regular September meeting at the Agency’s headquarters at 10:00 CEST on Monday, 8 September, in Board Room C, Building C, 4th floor, in the Vienna International Centre (VIC). 

Board discussions are expected to include, among others: nuclear and radiation safety; Nuclear Security Report 2025; strengthening the Agency’s activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications; verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015); application of safeguards in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea; implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Syrian Arab Republic; NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran; nuclear safety, security and safeguards in Ukraine; transfer of the nuclear materials in the context of AUKUS and its safeguards in all aspects under the NPT; application of IAEA safeguards in the Middle East; staffing of the Agency’s Secretariat and women in the Secretariat. 

The Board of Governors meeting is closed to the press. 

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will open the meeting with an introductory statement, which will be released to journalists after delivery and posted on the IAEA website.  

Press Conference 

Director General Grossi is expected to hold a press conference at 12:30 CEST on Monday, 8 September, in the Press Room of the M building. 

A live video stream of the press conference will be available. The IAEA will provide video footage of the press conference and the Director General’s opening statement here and will make photos available on Flickr.  

Photo Opportunity 

There will be a photo opportunity with the IAEA Director General and the Chair of the Board, Ambassador Matilda Aku Alomatu Osei-Agyeman of Ghana, before the start of the Board meeting, on 8 September at 10:00 CEST in Board Room C, in the C building in the VIC. 

Press Working Area 

The Press Room of the M building’s ground floor will be available as a press working area, starting from 09:00 CEST on 8 September.

Accreditation

All journalists interested in covering the meeting in person – including those with permanent accreditation – are requested to inform the IAEA Press Office of their plans. 

Journalists without permanent accreditation must send copies of their passport and press ID to the IAEA Press Office by 12:00 CEST on Friday, 5 September. 

We encourage those journalists who do not yet have permanent accreditation to request it at UNIS Vienna. 

Please plan your arrival to allow sufficient time to pass through the VIC security check. 

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is in Japan this week to conduct marine sampling near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). This visit forms part of the Agency’s broader monitoring and assessment efforts, which contribute to its ongoing safety review of the ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) treated water discharges.

During the mission, from 2 to 12 September, the IAEA team of scientists will observe the collection of seawater, marine sediment, fish and seaweed samples from coastal waters in the vicinity of the FDNPS. The mission will also include sampling at a local fish market and monitoring the preparation of samples prior to delivery to participating laboratories.

The IAEA Comprehensive Report on the Safety Review of the ALPS-Treated Water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station – released on 4 July 2023 prior to the water discharge – found Japan’s plan for handling the treated water to be consistent with international safety standards and that the discharge as planned would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) – operator of the FDNPS – started to discharge the water on 24 August 2023.

The IAEA team is joined by international experts from the French Authority for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (L’Autorité de sûreté nucléaire et de radioprotection, ASNR), the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, and the Spiez Laboratory, Switzerland – all members of the IAEA’s Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA) network. These external scientists provide independent corroboration of Japan’s environmental monitoring capabilities.

The IAEA conducts interlaboratory comparisons (ILCs) based on marine samples to verify Japan’s radiological data for the ALPS treated water discharges. Identical samples are analysed by multiple independent laboratories, including the IAEA’s own laboratories, to assess the comparability of radiological measurements.

Once the collection of samples is complete in Japan, they are homogenized, divided and sent for radionuclide analysis to all participating laboratories – the IAEA laboratories in Monaco and Vienna, ALMERA member laboratories in France, Republic of Korea and Switzerland, and Japanese institutions. The results will be submitted to the IAEA for evaluation, with focus on any statistically significant differences.

The findings will be publicly released in the second half of 2026. The extended timeline is required for sample distribution to laboratories worldwide and for the complex analytical methods required.

This mission is part of the IAEA’s extensive monitoring and assessment activities for the safety review of ALPS treated water. In the series of ILCs, the Agency has already published several reports evaluating TEPCO’s capabilities for accurately measuring the radionuclides in the treated water stored on site, and the capabilities of Japan’s laboratories for accurate measuring of the radionuclides in seawater, sediment, fish and seaweed samples. An ILC to corroborate source monitoring based on samples of ALPS treated water collected in July 2025 is also ongoing.

Additionally, IAEA experts stationed at the Agency’s office at FDNPS conduct regular independent on-site analyses of the batches of treated water. The IAEA has earlier confirmed that the tritium concentrations in the 14 batches of water already discharged were far below operational limits.

This week’s mission will also provide samples for a separate IAEA ILC project initiated in 2014 to support the quality assurance of broader marine environmental monitoring by Japanese laboratories.

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will inaugurate its new Visitor Centre at 16:00 CEST on Wednesday, 17 September 2025, at the IAEA Laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria. 

This high-level event will take place on the margins of the 69th regular session of the IAEA General Conference, highlighting the Agency’s commitment to public engagement and education on the safe and peaceful use of nuclear science, techniques and applications. The new IAEA Visitor Centre is a state-of-the-art facility showcasing the Agency’s scientific and technical mandate in a manner that is both educational and inspiring. Through interactive exhibits, the Centre provides visitors with a deeper understanding of nuclear peaceful uses in addressing global challenges in health, food and agriculture, ocean and water protection, culture preservation, energy, industry and more. 

Inauguration Ceremony 

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will deliver opening remarks, alongside Gabriella Sellner, Permanent Representative of Austria, speaking on behalf of the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs of Austria. 

Media Coverage 

Journalists are invited to cover the ceremony. The event will include: 

• A photo opportunity. 
• Statements by the Director General and other speakers. 
• Guided tours.

The IAEA will make photos available on Flickr and can provide video footage upon request. 

Transport for Media 

The IAEA will arrange transport, upon request for media representatives, to ensure sufficient time for setup ahead of the inauguration ceremony. 

• Departure: Wednesday, 17 September at 14:00. 
• Location: Bus stop near Gate 1, Vienna International Centre (VIC), Wagramer Straße 5. 
• Return transport to the VIC will depart Seibersdorf at approximately 18:00. 

Driving 

The IAEA Laboratories location: Friedensstraße, A-2444 Seibersdorf, Austria. Signs marked “IAEA Laboratories” are visible upon approaching the area. (See Google maps →)  

Accreditation and registration  

Journalists interested in attending must confirm their participation by 12:00 CEST on Friday, 5 September, by completing the following steps: 

1. Please complete the registration form here. The link will be deactivated after the deadline. 
2. Please send a copy of your passport and press ID via email. 
3. Kindly use this subject line in your email: Inauguration – Media Attendance Confirmation.

Please bring an official photo ID to allow sufficient time for security clearance in Seibersdorf. 

Source: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) –