An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has completed a review of the long-term operational safety of the Ascó nuclear power plant in Spain. The team reviewed implementation of recommendations made during a previous review mission and assessed the plant's preparedness, organisation and programmes related to long-term operation against IAEA safety standards.

Japanese laboratories monitoring radionuclides in seawater, marine sediment and fish near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant continue to produce reliable data, according to a new International Atomic Energy Agency report. Meanwhile, Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to rear fish in treated radioactive water from the plant to demonstrate its safety. A University of Georgia study has shown that radioactive contamination in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone can be measured through its resident snakes.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has called for more Member States to appoint a national focal point on denials of shipment of radioactive materials. Speaking during a webinar organised by the independent Transport Facilitation Working Group and hosted last week by World Nuclear Association, he said having more NFPs would result in the smoother transport of radioactive materials around the globe.

An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has completed a review of the long-term operational safety of units 5 and 6 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant in Bulgaria. The team assessed the plant's preparedness, organisation and programmes related to long-term operation against IAEA safety standards.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has begun construction at its Seibersdorf facility near Vienna of a new building that will house a nuclear security training centre. The IAEA Nuclear Security Training and Demonstration Centre - scheduled to be operational in 2023 - will help strengthen countries' abilities to tackle nuclear terrorism in areas such as the illegal trafficking of nuclear material and the physical protection of facilities and major public events.

An International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts last week completed a nuclear security advisory mission in Belarus, which was carried out at the request of its government. The two-week International Physical Protection Advisory Service mission reviewed the national security regime for nuclear material and associated facilities and activities.

International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has informed the agency's Board of Governors that Iran intends to use indigenously-produced uranium enriched up to 20% U-235 in the manufacture of fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, an IAEA spokesperson told World Nuclear News today. In doing so, as part of a multi-stage process, Iran will also produce uranium metal enriched up to 20% U-235.

A new technology using drones is set to be deployed for the remote monitoring of radiation measurements at former uranium mining and processing areas in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with gamma spectrometers have been developed by a German consortium in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is better prepared for the UN COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow in November than it was for COP25, its director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, said in an interview. He called on world leaders to recognise the hard facts about nuclear energy and the contribution it can make to tackling climate change.

The one-month extension to the 'temporary technical understanding' between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency expired on 24 June and Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters in Tehran today that no decision had yet been made on whether or not to continue with the arrangement.

The 70-year decommissioning programme of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, including long-term management of residual waste, provides a good basis for future effective implementation, an International Atomic Energy Agency team of experts has concluded. The team made several recommendations to support JAEA in increasing the effectiveness of its decommissioning activities, including in the area of waste disposal.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has provided an update on Kenya's progress since its 2015 Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review mission. INIR missions enable IAEA member states to have in-depth discussions with international experts about the conditions and best international practices in the development of a nuclear power programme.