IAEA Seeks Submissions for October Conference on Climate Change and Nuclear Installation Resilience

Nuclear facilities worldwide rely on robust safety frameworks designed to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has called for interested contributors to submit synopses for its inaugural International Conference on Resilience of Nuclear Installations against External Events from a Safety Perspective. The event will take place from 20–24 October 2025 at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, and will focus heavily on the challenges posed by climate change. Submissions are due by 31 May 2025.

A Timely Focus on Climate Impact

Nuclear facilities worldwide rely on robust safety frameworks designed to withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. However, the increasing severity and frequency of extreme weather and other climate-driven events are testing traditional methodologies. “The conference will explore strategies and methodologies to assess and enhance the resilience of nuclear installations to external event scenarios, ensuring they can withstand and adapt to the increasing challenges posed, among others, by climate change,” said Anna Bradford, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Installation Safety.

By assembling a diverse array of international experts, the conference seeks to strengthen global collaboration and exchange of best practices. This cross-sectoral approach aims to enhance safety measures not only in existing facilities but also in new reactors and waste disposal installations currently in planning, licensing, or construction stages.

Improving Methods, Strengthening Resilience

The conference will provide a platform for sharing advanced techniques, methodologies, and modeling approaches across the entire nuclear lifecycle—encompassing siting, design, operation, and long-term safety assessments. Discussions will focus on identifying and analyzing external hazards, accounting for uncertainties in combined hazard events, and leveraging innovative reactor designs to bolster resilience.

“Resilience is the ability of nuclear installations to quickly return to their original safety state after a potentially damaging event,” said Paolo Contri, Head of the IAEA Section of External Events Safety. “Coupled with robustness, resilience means developing engineering solutions that not only handle extreme scenarios but also respond to emerging challenges or unforeseen threats.”

Opportunities for Contributions and Networking

This first-of-its-kind conference also aims to foster stronger networks among safety analysts, regulators, researchers, and other key stakeholders. Participants will engage in discussions on current and novel methods for evaluating the robustness of nuclear installations and radioactive waste facilities against evolving external threats.

How to Participate

Contributors must submit their synopses through the IAEA’s web-based IAEA-INDICO submission system by 31 May 2025. Detailed guidelines and topics of interest—including analyses of external hazards, innovative safety features, and combined hazard scenarios—are available on the IAEA’s conference web page. Authors will be notified by 30 June 2025 whether their submissions have been accepted for oral or poster presentation.

All attendees must be designated by an IAEA Member State or be affiliated with an invited organization. There is no registration fee for participants.