Switzerland is committed to maintaining and strengthening its regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety, an International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has concluded. The Integrated Regulatory Review Service mission team said a key challenge for the country is to keep and to build new safety competence for the future by evaluating anticipated gaps in expertise and in identifying actions required to fill them.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said he is "absolutely confident" that "some arrangement" will be made to accept nuclear energy in the EU's taxonomy of sustainable investment. In an on-stage interview at COP26, he said the escalation of gas prices has increased political interest in nuclear power.

An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has completed a follow-up Safety Aspects of Long-Term Operation mission to units 1 and 2 of the Forsmark nuclear power plant in Sweden. The team reviewed the plant's response to recommendations and suggestions made during an initial IAEA Pre-SALTO mission in 2019.

An expert team assembled by the International Atomic Energy Agency "observed significant improvements" in operational practices at Belarus' Ostrovets nuclear power plant, the organisation said, noting that some areas remain for improvement.

Nuclear energy will be the most cost-effective means of producing clean hydrogen when natural gas prices are high, according to a new study by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA said the study "underscored the importance of having a diverse mix of low-carbon sources for a successful clean energy transition."

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has said he will bring a simple message to the COP26 climate change conference: Nuclear is and will be part of the solution to our climate crisis. The conference, which begins next week in Glasgow, could be one of our last best opportunities to agree on concrete steps to ensure prosperity for all, and nuclear power needs a place at the table, Grossi said. A transcript of his video message follows.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has completed a review of long-term operational safety at the Krško nuclear power plant in Slovenia. The Pre-SALTO (Safety Aspects of Long-Term Operation) review mission was requested by the plant's operator, Nuklearna Elektrarna Krško.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has made the full case for nuclear to be deployed rapidly to enable the phase out of coal in a new Nuclear Energy for a Net Zero World brochure. The organisation is taking it to next month's COP26 climate change meeting to argue for evidence-based policy and "ramped up" investment in nuclear.

EDF has demonstrated a commitment to safety at its Paluel nuclear power plant, an expert team from the International Atomic Energy Agency has concluded. The team encouraged the operator to continue implementation of its operational safety improvement initiatives at the plant in northern France.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is developing a system that will alert the Agency of natural hazards - such as floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and wildfires - that could potentially affect nuclear sites. The External Events Notification System would then trigger the IAEA's response and services offered. 

Global nuclear industry leaders have agreed to work together with the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency as the Group of Vienna to apply nuclear energy to addressing climate change and advancing sustainable development.

The European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency have extended a 2013 agreement to cooperate on nuclear safety. Their cooperation has already led to over one hundred nuclear safety review missions, environmental remediation at former uranium sites in Central Asia and more effective radioactive waste management in Africa.