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2009 Look Ahead: Nuclear Prospects, Transitions
Staff Report
29 December 2008
Are more nuclear plants for generating electricity down the road? Prospects are being debated in many countries. (Photo: D. Calma/IAEA)
- Story Resources
- Year in Review - 2008
- Year in Review - 2007
January 2009
- Nominations for the post of IAEA Director General are due to the IAEA Board, which is considering candidates for selection by mid-2009.
- Rising demands for freshwater resources for food and energy production frame an international conference in India sponsored by the IAEA.
- Global leaders including IAEA Director General ElBaradei meet in Davos at the World Economic Forum, where the world financial crisis and economic growth are top themes.
- Ghana kicks off a series of IAEA regional seminars on the handling of information related to nuclear trafficking.
- In the United Arab Emirates, energy, environmental, and governmental leaders meet at the World Future Energy Summit, where nuclear prospects are part of debates.
February
- At a conference in Spain, international experts aim to lower chances of uncontrolled radioactive sources ending up in scrapyards.
- Scientists review IAEA-supported research on exposure to toxic elements of women of childbearing age in developing countries.
- Iraqi and other experts receive training in Australia as part of international support to an IAEA nuclear decommissioning project in Iraq.
- The IAEA joins to support World Cancer Day on 4 February, through a global partnership and technical projects to fight the disease.
- Nuclear communicators from Europe and other regions meet in Edinburgh, Scotland, at the European Nuclear Society´s conference on public information.
March
- Starting 2 March in Vienna, the IAEA Board meets on issues of nuclear safeguards, safety, and technology.
- The premier international symposium on nuclear waste brings together technical and industry experts in Phoenix, Arizona.
- At the IAEA and elsewhere, the world marks International Women´s Day on 8 March.
- In Istanbul, the 5th World Water Forum opens on 16 March.
- Special events highlight World Water Day 22 March, this year focusing on transboundary lake and river basins that cover nearly half of the Earth´s land.
- Global efforts to strengthen the security of nuclear and radiological materials take centre stage at the International Symposium on Nuclear Security in Vienna.
- The 5th academic course on nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation opens in Italy, organized by the IAEA and European Safeguards Research and Development Association.
April
- Issues of energy security, climate change, and electricity costs frame themes at the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century, held in Beijing, China.
- The economic competitiveness of the nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear energy are key topics at the World Nuclear Fuel Cycle 2009 sessions in Sydney, Australia.
- Medical authorities review technological advances in radiation oncology for cancer treatment, especially in poorer countries, at an international symposium in Vienna.
- The IAEA´s programme and budget is reviewed by a committee of the Agency´s Board.
- The IAEA and US Department of Energy host an international training course on the physical protection of nuclear material and nuclear facilities.
- In France, technical experts in radioactive waste management meet on the IAEA´s centres of excellence network.
May
- The IAEA hosts the 3rd review of the Joint Convention on the Safety of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste Management, which has 46 contracting parties.
- The run-up to the next review conference of the global Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty continues at preparatory meetings in New York starting 4 May.
- Scientists review advances in using particle accelerators for strategic and applied research, and applications in fields of safety and security, environmental protection, and industry.
- Systems for desalting seawater are technically reviewed at a workshop of the IAEA and International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy.
- The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation holds its 57th session in Vienna.
June
- Kazakhstan hosts an environmental conference on remediating lands contaminated with residues of radioactive materials.
- The IAEA Board´s mid-year meetings open in early June in Vienna.
- Risks and opportunities of the "livestock revolution" in agriculture are reviewed in Vienna by scientists and policymakers at an FAO/IAEA symposium.
- Scientists, geologists, engineers, and nuclear power operators join to assess the changing dynamics of uranium and the nuclear fuel cycle.
- The prospects for an Integrated Energy Agenda Beyond 2020 are debated in Vienna, Austria. The event is co-organised by the IAEA, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).
July
- The 2009 Summer Institute of the World Nuclear University opens at the University of Oxford in England.
- The annual meeting of the Institute of Nuclear Materials Management opens in Arizona, USA.
- Meeting in Canada, scientists present advances in the production and use of radiopharmaceuticals in medicine.
August
- The IAEA convenes electronic engineers and scientists to improve training in nuclear instrumentation for applications of science and technology.
- The annual summer session at the International School of Nuclear Law takes place in Montpellier, France.
September
- The IAEA General Conference of Member States meets in Vienna starting 14 September, preceded by meetings of the Agency´s Board the week before.
- The World Nuclear Association opens its annual symposium in London.
- The 2009 Workshop of the School of Nuclear Knowledge Management opens at the ICTP in Italy.
October
- Specialists review the design and development of water-cooled nuclear plants to help meet this century´s electricity demands.
- Scientists at laboratories that use nuclear techniques to monitor pollution, among other applications, examine ways to improve quality assurance.
November
- The IAEA Board´s Committee for Technical Cooperation meets at sessions starting 23 November. The full IAEA Board´s meeting starts 26 November.
- Research results are reviewed on the use of neutron-based techniques for detecting explosives and illicit materials.
- The International Nuclear Safety Group, an advisory body to the IAEA, meets in Vienna.
December 2009
- In Vienna, the International Conference on Fast Reactors targets future directions of nuclear power.
- In South Africa, an IAEA conference focuses on effective systems of nuclear regulation, building upon 2006 sessions.
- In Copenhagen, world governmental leaders meet at the UN Conference on Climate Change to set the course beyond the Kyoto Protocol to combat CO2 emissions.
Keep informed by visiting www.IAEA.org and the meetings pages.