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The 67th annual IAEA General Conference has adopted resolutions related to nuclear and radiation safety, nuclear security, and strengthening the effectiveness and improving the efficiency of Agency safeguards. Strengthening the IAEA’s technical cooperation activities, as well as activities related to nuclear science, technology and applications were also adopted, among other resolutions. IAEA resolutions and decisions will guide the IAEA’s implementation of activities in the coming year.

Date: Saturday, 07 October 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsiaea-general-conference-attracts-2800-participants-11199232

Advances in emerging field of ‘theranostics’ are a game-changer Millions of patients around the globe rely on the regular and timely production of diagnostic and therapeutic isotopes produced in research reactors and accelerator facilities. Image courtesy IAEA. Advances in medical isotope diagnostics and therapy are holding promise for cancer patients, despite challenges facing the nuclear medical field in recent years related to radionuclide production and supply, rising costs, and stricter regulation.

Medical isotopes are radioactive substances used in various diagnostic and therapeutic procedures to treat various types of cancers and other conditions. They are essential for modern medicine, allowing physicians to visualise and target specific organs, tissues and cells in a patient’s body.

Over more than a decade, personalised medicine using nuclear techniques has been gaining pace, allowing doctors to tailor therapies and treatments to the specific needs and physiology of a patient, and to avoid harm to healthy organs or tissues.

According to Sven Van den Berghe, chief executive of Belgium-based isotope producer PanTera, one technique that has seen significant advances is known as theranostics – the term used to describe the combination of using one radioactive drug to diagnose and a second to deliver therapy to treat the main tumour and any metastatic tumours.

Date: Friday, 14 April 2023
Original article: nucnet.org/news/sector-aims-to-tackle-isotope-supply-problems-as-excitement-grows-over-targeted-therapies-4-4-2023

Even oil-rich companies of Middle East are eying reactors, as more nations announce plans for SMRs Russian troops occupied the Zaporizhzhia nuclear station, which was damaged by shelling. File photo courtesy IAEA. 2022 was a year of mega milestones for nuclear energy.

Countries around the world turned to nuclear as a reliable low-carbon energy source as they looked for ways to wean themselves off Russian imports and lower carbon emissions.

New plants began operating, deals for small modular reactors were signed and countries announced ambitious plans for new-build.

On the political front, US president Joe Biden signed into law new legislation that will help to finance struggling nuclear reactors and could save dozens from being shut down early. In Europe, the nuclear industry celebrated when members of the European parliament decided to “follow the science” and support legislation which includes nuclear in the bloc’s sustainable finance taxonomy for green investment.

Date: Tuesday, 10 January 2023
Original article: nucnet.org/news/five-major-developments-that-are-setting-the-stage-for-2023-and-beyond-1-1-2023

The Dutch Council of Ministers has approved plans for construction of two new nuclear power units, each with a power of 1000-1650MWe, with Borssele in the Netherlands as the preferred location. The decision was taken after extensive preparation, including consultation with the province of Zeeland and municipalities. The government believes that, with an accelerated approach, construction can be completed in 2035, after which the power stations can supply 9-13% of the total electricity.

Date: Friday, 16 December 2022
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsbelgium-confirms-borssele-as-site-for-new-nuclear-plants-10439145

Global optimism ‘rising’ about potential of reactors to help achieve net zero emissions Fatih Birol (left) and Rafael Grossi at the International Atomic Energy Agency discussion on nuclear power at Cop27 in Egypt. Courtesy IAEA. Nuclear power is making “a strong comeback”, but the international financial community has so far “failed” to provide the level playing field needed for nuclear to help the world tackle its most pressing challenges, from climate change to sustainable development, International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Fatih Birol told the Cop27 United Nations climate conference in in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Birol told an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) discussion on nuclear power: “I don’t give them a passing grade.”

“Countries that were saying goodbye to nuclear power, they are rethinking their plans,” Birol said, adding that the IEA had been engaged in talks with both Belgium and Germany.

“We are very happy that both governments are now in the process of postponing their nuclear phaseout plans, understanding the role that nuclear plays in addressing this energy security challenge,” he said.

In addition, another group of countries is now considering extending the lifetime of their existing nuclear power reactors to respond to this challenge, which is one of the cheapest forms of low carbon power, Birol said. Still another group of countries are rolling out plans to build new reactors, including seemingly “surprising” ones such as the Netherlands and Poland as well as Japan and South Korea.

Date: Friday, 11 November 2022
Original article: nucnet.org/news/nuclear-making-strong-comeback-but-financial-community-has-failed-to-provide-level-playing-field-11-4-2022

South Korea’s Ministry of Environment has released a revised draft of its K-Taxonomy including nuclear power. The ministry had excluded nuclear power generation in its draft released in December 2021. However, the European Union (EU) included nuclear power generation in its taxonomy in July and this decision influenced the new draft.

Date: Saturday, 24 September 2022
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newssouth-korea-includes-nuclear-in-its-k-taxonomy-10031333

Seoul to resume construction of two units as president says building reactors is ‘global trend’ Work on Shin-Hanul-3 and Shin-Hanul-4 was halted in 2017 under the nuclear phaseout policy of the previous administration. Courtesy KHNP. South Korea has announced a new energy policy that calls for a “feasible and reasonable energy mix” with construction of the Shin-Hanul-3 and - 4 nuclear powers to resume and the aim of increasing the share of nuclear power to a minimum of 30% by 2030.

The policy effectively reverses the previous administration’s plans to phase out commercial nuclear energy.

Former president Moon Jae-in’s policy had been to retire the country’s 24 commercial reactors, which supply about 30% of its electricity generation, and refrain from building new ones.

By contrast, new president Yoon Suk-yeol, who took office earlier this year, is bullish on the need for South Korea to embrace nuclear energy. He has said building nuclear power plants is a global trend and essential to the reduction of carbon and energy security, noting that the EU had recently classified nuclear power as green energy in its sustainable finance taxonomy.

Date: Thursday, 07 July 2022
Original article: nucnet.org/news/new-energy-policy-reverses-phaseout-plans-and-targets-30-nuclear-share-in-2030-7-3-2022

A group of 46 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from 18 countries has written to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, calling for the inclusion of nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy for sustainable investments. The exclusion of nuclear, they say, would promote a strategy that is "clearly inadequate" to decarbonise the region's economy.

Date: Thursday, 08 April 2021
Original article: world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/NGOs-call-for-nuclears-inclusion-in-EU-taxonomy


Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom in 2016 will contribute RUB24.6m ($300,000) from its state budget allocation to the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO project), according to a Russian government directive published on the official legal information portal. The directive says Rosatom and the Russian Foreign Ministry will monitor the use of the Russian contribution.

Date: Thursday, 28 January 2016
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsrussia-contributes-to-iaea-inpro-project-4795612