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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.

Date: Wednesday, 07 June 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsiaea-resolves-some-outstanding-issues-with-iran-10918237

Members of the International Nuclear Regulators' Association (INRA) say they are committed to proactively collaborate on generic reactor design assessments and licensing and to support national regulatory reviews on small modular reactors (SMRs). INRA, established ion 1997, is a collective of the heads of the nuclear regulatory authorities from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA. Its stated goal is to share knowledge and provide support to enhance nuclear safety, security and radiological protection.

Date: Wednesday, 31 May 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsnuclear-regulators-to-collaborate-on-smrs-10898002

Group of Seven (G7) energy and environment ministers, following a two-day meeting in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo, issued a 36-page communique laying out their commitments ahead of a G7 summit in Hiroshima in May. The detailed statement covered sections on environment, climate and energy. It reaffirmed a commitment to accelerating the clean energy transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. “We call on and will work with other countries to end new unabated coal-fired power generation projects globally as soon as possible to accelerate the clean energy transition in a just manner,” the statement says, stipulating that countries should rely on “predominantly” clean energy by 2035.

Date: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsg7-ministers-reaffirm-net-zero-targets-condemn-russia-and-offer-only-qualified-support-for-nuclear-10770194

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

Italy is a steadfast partner in the challenges facing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today with a long history of achievements in the nuclear field, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi commented, as he travelled to Rome. During his two-day visit, Grossi met with Italy’s President and Foreign Minister, as well as with Pope Francis. Discussions covered a variety of issues including nuclear safety and security in Ukraine, nuclear non-proliferation, and the role of nuclear science and technology in combating climate change.

Date: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsgrossi-holds-talks-with-italian-leaders-and-pope-francis-10523617

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

After leading the 14-member Support and Assistance Mission to Zaporizhzia (ISAMZ), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi summarised the situation at the NPP sayng that the physical integrity of the plant had been violated.

Date: Tuesday, 06 September 2022
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newszaporizhizhia-physical-integrity-violated-9977999

Government wants access to €410bn global market The Wolsong nuclear power station in South Korea, where one unit has been permanently shut down. South Korea said it plans to start construction next year of an institute that will develop technologies for the decommissioning of nuclear power plants.

The move is part of government plans to access a global decommissioning market that it believes could be worth about €410bn ($445bn) by the end of the decade.

According to press reports, the institute will be built on two sites. The main site, between Bulsan and Ulsan in the southeast of the country, will develop technologies for light-water reactors. A second site, near the southeastern coastal city of Gyeongju, will develop technologies for heavy-water reactors.

South Korea’s government-funded Yonhap news agency said the institutes will also “provide the necessary test platforms and talent reserves” for commercialisation of decommissioning technology.

Date: Thursday, 23 April 2020
Original article: nucnet.org/news/seoul-to-build-institute-for-nuclear-decommissioning-4-3-2020