Nuclear industry representatives will gather in Vienna this week for a conference exploring safety measures at nuclear facilities, organized by the IAEA in cooperation with the World Meteorological Organization. Experts and industry representatives will exchange experiences and lessons learned on methods to improve safety of nuclear power plants and fuel cycle and radioactive waste storage facilities subjected to natural hazards such as earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and volcanic activity. Extreme weather events will be a special focus of the five-day conference, held from 20-24 October.  

Access the conference via the live stream here

“As the planet warms and extreme weather events intensify, nuclear facilities with safety measures based on historical data will need to adapt to these evolving natural hazards. Solutions must be developed to support the response to these emerging, changing or unpredictable threats,” said Karine Herviou, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security.

The conference will see participation from  a range of experts in nuclear safety, natural hazard analysis and mitigation. This will include owners and operators of nuclear power plants and other nuclear facilities, technical experts such as structural engineers and hazard analysts, nuclear regulators and civil protection authorities and disaster managers. 

Experts will have the opportunity  to share experiences and discuss existing and new methods to evaluate the resilience of existing nuclear facilities, as well as those under design, licencing and construction. 

The conference will feature plenary sessions, keynote lectures and breakout sessions. Themes and topics will include initial identification and analysis of external hazards, data and climate modelling, safety features of advanced reactor designs, and operational measures for a real time management of emergencies, such as new monitoring systems and artificial intelligence.  Emergency preparedness and disaster response will also be addressed, with discussions on subjects such as international collaboration in emergency response and public communication. The siting and design of reactors, safety assessments and regulatory matters will also be addressed.

The conference will provide networking opportunities for safety analysts, regulators, researchers, and others engaged in the safety of nuclear installations.

It will conclude with a discussion of the Call for Action drafted by the conference President, with proposals for future involvement of the IAEA in the development of guidelines, projects and research in the area.

The IAEA’s role in nuclear safety and security is wide ranging, and includes: providing training and technical assistance to countries, facilitating knowledge transfer, international cooperation and supporting emergency preparedness programmes, and establishing  safety standards and guidelines. These safety standards include publications aimed at strengthening safety at nuclear installations in the event of natural hazards. In particular Specific Safety Guide 18, Meteorological and Hydrological Hazards in Site Evaluation for Nuclear Installations, Specific Safety Guide 9, Seismic Hazards in Site Evaluation for Nuclear Installations and Specific Safety Guide 68, Design of Nuclear Installations Against External Events Excluding Earthquakes help nuclear facility operators plan for and adapt to natural hazards.