Iraqi delegation receives month-long training on nuclear waste management from EU project

Aimed at helping the RPC to achieve a level of efficiency in line with international standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and consistent with the best practices of the European Union, this training is part of the project titled “Supporting capacity building of Radiation Protection Centre on the field of Radioactive Waste Management”. This project is implemented as part of the European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) of the European Commission.

The training was organised by Expertise France and delivered by the French national radioactive waste management agency (Andra) and the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN).

“This project is crucial for Expertise France as it constitutes the very first initiative implemented in the field of nuclear safety and waste management with international partners,” explained Expertise France Unit Coordinator Aurélie Noël, adding “strong of our expertise in the field of chemical and biological risk mitigation, our agency is paving the way to further develop its support to partner countries willing to strengthen their capacities in decommissioning nuclear facilities and handling contaminated sites.”

The training, which covered theoretical aspects ranging from waste packages, earthquake risks and geochemistry -among others-, also included a number of site visits and hands-on activities delivered by Andra and IRSN nuclear waste management experts. It focused on the first task of a 36-month work programme, centered around the disposal licensing roadmap.

“Iraq has been involved in nuclear activities for nearly 70 years, with infamous conflicts causing high levels of contamination due to the destruction of various nuclear facilities. It is essential for us to abide by international standards to ensure transparency but mostly to harness nuclear power’s benefit for peaceful purposes,” stressed Dr. Sabah Nooruldeen, Head of the RPC.

Reflecting on the month of exchanges, Project Manager at Andra Cyril Hemery stated: “I witnessed very interactive exchanges, where the Iraqi participants demonstrated a genuine interest in integrating the knowledge provided by our experts into their own framework. Although there are differences between our two environments, there are many aspects, such as safety demonstration- that can be transferred and integrated into the Iraqi’s RPC plans.”

The project focuses on three main objectives:

- to improve infrastructure rules related to radioactive waste disposal facilities;

- to strengthen the license management of disposal facilities;

- to improve regulation and monitoring in the field of nuclear safety, namely radiation protection in the context of management, decommissioning, and clean-up of radioactive waste.

“This project was thought through in a pyramidal approach, starting from the general international safety standards defined by the IAEA, down to the very specific tasks of waste sampling and characterisation,” noted Julien Malleville, project manager for IRSN.

The Paris training comes after a number of activities held with the Iraqi partners since the launch of the project in October 2022, included two trainings in Jordan, one in France, and two committees held in Tunisia and Austria.

As a reminder, after the Chernobyl accident in 1986, the European institutions launched the Nuclear Safety Programme within the framework of technical assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States, which, between 1991 and 2006, allocated about €1.2 billion to nuclear safety and security projects. From 2007 to 2013, the European Union extended its support in the field of nuclear safety to third countries under the Nuclear Safety Cooperation Instrument, with a total budget of €524 million. From 2014 to 2020, a strategy for the implementation of the second phase of the Nuclear Safety Cooperation Instrument was implemented with an additional €325 million allocated. Since May 2021, a new program called European Instrument for International Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) of €300 million was approved for the period between 2021 and 2027.

The Iraq Nuclear Decommissioning Project (IDP) began in 2006 following a request submitted by the Government of Iraq to the International Atomic Energy Agency in December 2004, with the aim of assisting Iraq in planning and decommissioning of the facilities nuclear facilities affected areas, management of the generated radioactive waste, treatment of contaminated sites, as well as formulation of the relevant legal and regulatory framework. In 2009, the European Union launched a coordinated effort to contribute to this programme.

About the implementing partners

Expertise France

As a public agency, Expertise France is the interministerial actor for international technical cooperation, a subsidiary of the Agence française de développement (AFD) group. The second-largest agency in Europe, it designs and implements projects that sustainably strengthen public policies in developing and emerging countries. Governance, security, climate, health, education, etc., it intervenes in key development areas and contributes alongside its partners to the realization of sustainable development goals (SDGs).

IRSN

France’s National Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, IRSN is a public expert with industrial and commercial activities set up in 2002. The institute is under the joint authority of the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Research and the Ministry of Health.

Andra

Established as an independent structure in 1991, the French National Agency for Radioactive Waste Management, Andra, is responsible for identifying, developing, implementing, operating and guaranteeing safe and sustainable management solutions for all French radioactive waste, to protect present and future generations from the risks inherent in such substances.

Contacts

- Mr. Curtis Piel, Press relations manager for Expertise France – curtis.piel@expertisefrance.fr

- Mr. Xavier Pinsolle, European Commission Project Manager - Nuclear Safety and Safeguards, Directorate-General for International Partnerships - E-mail : xavier.pinsolle@ec.europa.eu

-Mrs. Aurélie Noël, Project Manager for Expertise France - E-mail : aurelie.noel@expertisefrance.fr

-Dr. Dr. Sabah Nooruldeen, Iraqi Ministry of Environment, Radiation Protection Centre, Director General  - E-mail : env.rpc@gmail.com