The International Atomic Energy Agency intends to launch a new initiative at the IAEA ministerial in Washington, D.C. on August 26–27. The objective of the initiative, called Atomic Technologies Licensed for Applications at Sea (ATLAS), is to provide support for “the maritime industry’s exploration of small modular reactors (SMRs) to power civilian ships and to provide offshore energy.” The IAEA hopes that this initiative will help advance the maritime deployment of such reactors.

Today, there are 34 countries with operational nuclear power plants—but there are dozens more working on building a nuclear plant of their own. While progress on these projects inevitably ebbs and flows, broadly, momentum seems to be building on the international stage.

That growing momentum manifested last week in Kazakhstan’s announcement that it has officially partnered with Russia on a new nuclear power plant project. Prior to these new agreements, Russia, which borders Kazakhstan to the north, was already engaged in extensive preliminary work on the project.

Of the many and varied uses of nuclear science and technology, few may be aware of its applications in the detection of food adulteration. Also known as food fraud, food adulteration is the intentional altering of food products through dilution, substitution, mislabeling, or other fraudulent actions for financial gain.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has launched a five-year coordinated research project (CRP) to strengthen plant health preparedness using nuclear and related technologies.

Wheat blast, potato late blight, potato bacterial wilt, and cassava witches broom disease can spread quickly across large areas of land, leading to severe yield losses in key crops for food security. Global trade and climate change have increased the likelihood of rapid, transboundary spread.

Kenya and Rwanda are continuing to make progress toward deployment of their first nuclear reactors sometime in the near future, according to recent developments coming out of the African continent. Here are updates on the two countries’ nuclear ambitions.

Today, the American Nuclear Society issued a press release joining the International Atomic Energy Agency’s calls for maximum military restraint around nuclear power plants and civilian research reactors.

This press release comes as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East primarily involving Iran, Israel, and the United States continues to rapidly evolve and intensify. As is the case with many armed conflicts, the confirmation of each reported update from multiple—and often contradictory—sources comes with significant difficulties. However, IAEA reporting sheds significant light on the current state of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Washington, D.C. — The American Nuclear Society (ANS) issued the following statement:

“The American Nuclear Society supports the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) calls for maximum military restraint around nuclear power plants and civilian research reactors, and for full adherence by all combatants to the IAEA's seven pillars for nuclear safety and security during armed conflict.”

The International Atomic Energy Agency has launched a new coordinated research project (CRP) aimed at creating a database of polymer-radiation interactions in the next five years with the long-term goal of using the database to enable machine learning–based predictive models.

Radiation-induced modifications are widely applicable across a range of fields including healthcare, agriculture, and environmental applications, and exposure to radiation is a major factor when considering materials used at nuclear power plants.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has said that more than half of all thefts of nuclear and other radioactive material reported to the agency’s Incident and Trafficking Database (ITDB) since 1993 occurred during authorized transport, with the share rising to nearly 70 percent in the past decade. The ITDB covers incidents involving nuclear material, radioisotopes, and radioactively contaminated material.

A team of nuclear safety experts with the International Atomic Energy Agency completed a five-day safety review of the SAFARI-1 reactor in Pelindaba, South Africa, focusing on aging management and continued safe operation of the 61-year-old 20-MW research reactor.

The IAEA team found that the SAFARI-1’s management and technical staff had a strong commitment to and involvement with the assessment but recommended that formal programs be established to address the aging reactor’s equipment.

A uranium enrichment monitor developed by a team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will soon be undergoing testing for nonproliferation applications at the International Atomic Energy Agency Centre of Excellence for Safeguards and Non-Proliferation in the United Kingdom. A recent PNNL news article describes how the research team, led by nuclear physicist James Ely, who works within the lab’s National Security Directorate, developed the UF₆ gas enrichment sensor (UGES) prototype for treaty verification and other purposes.

The International Atomic Energy Agency has reported that, to date, 14 countries have made 14 transfers of disused radium to be recycled for use in advanced cancer treatments under the agency’s Global Radium-226 Management Initiative. Through this initiative, which was launched in 2021, legacy radium-226 from decades-old medical and industrial sources is used to produce actinium-225 radiopharmaceuticals, which have shown effectiveness in the treatment of patients with breast and prostate cancers and certain other cancers.

Independent sampling and analysis of the 17th batch of ALPS-treated water, which Tokyo Electric Power Company has been discharging on from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, has confirmed that the tritium concentration is far below Japan’s operational limit, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is inviting young professionals under 35 years of age to submit essays on innovations in the nuclear fuel supply chain, covering topics from uranium exploration to the recycling of spent nuclear fuel.

Repairs have reportedly started to restore off-site power to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. About a month ago, the site lost connection to the grid for the 10th time during the Russia-Ukraine military conflict, according to Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association (ITA), a nongovernmental organization made up of 81 member states working to advance the safe, beneficial use of subsurface spaces, is working with the International Atomic Energy Agency to support the advancement of geologic disposal facilities for high-level radioactive waste.

International Atomic Energy Agency researchers have helped scientists on the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius to develop a variety of cauliflower that is resistant to black rot disease. The cauliflower was developed through innovative radiation-induced plant-breeding techniques employed by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture.

WM Symposia, which hosts the annual Waste Management Conference in Phoenix, Ariz., announced it has signed a practical arrangement with the International Atomic Energy Agency aimed at strengthening international collaboration in the safe management of radioactive waste, decommissioning, and environmental remediation.

The nuclear regulators of Belgium, Italy, and Romania signed on this week to the first “prelicensing” project under the IAEA’s Nuclear Harmonization and Standardization Initiative (NHSI) during the opening day of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 69th General Conference, pledging to work with the EAGLES Consortium to clarify regulatory requirements for a lead-cooled reactor ahead of formal licensing.

The International Atomic Energy Agency presented its 2025 Global ISOP Innovation Award for AI to Blue Wave AI Labs, Constellation, and the Southern Company subsidiary Southern Nuclear for the companies’ collaborative work on Blue Wave's ThermalLimits.ai. The technology is an AI application that provides accuracy in online thermal limit forecasting for boiling water reactors.