nucleareurope participates in IAEA General Conference side event on SMR Alliance

On 17 September 2024, nucleareurope Director General Yves Desbazeille participated in a side event on the European Industrial Alliance on SMRs, in the framework of the 68th International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference, held in Vienna from 16 to 20 September 2024.

Yves presented the SMR Alliance’s ambitions and proposed actions, as part of a general presentation of the Alliance by the three permanent members of its Governing Board: the European Commission, represented by Jan Panek, DG ENER Director for nuclear energy, safety and ITER, the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP), represented by its president Bernard Salha, and nucleareurope.

In his intervention, Yves outlined the process for the operationalisation of the Alliance’s activities, listing the potential projects to be carried out by Project Working Groups (PWGs) which will be set up in October 2024, following a review process. The Alliance is then expected to produce technology roadmaps by the end of 2024, and establish a strategic action plan in the first quarter of 2025.

“The technology roadmaps and the strategic action plan will guide the activities of the Alliance, with the ultimate objective to reach concrete results and complete new projects” said Yves, adding that stakeholder involvement in the Alliance is a keystone to achieve its objectives.

Following the presentation of the Alliance, representatives from Electricité de France (EDF), the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG), the European Commission and the IAEA highlighted the involvement of industrial actors, regulators, and international institutions in the Alliance, showcasing the diversity of the Alliance’s stakeholders.