WNN News
Summary
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has designated Ontario Tech University as a Collaborating Centre to support IAEA activities on advanced nuclear power technology, including small modular reactors (SMRs), as well as the non‑electric applications of nuclear energy. The institution is the first in Canada to receive such a designation.
The agreement was signed on 22 April at the IAEA's headquarters in Vienna by Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA deputy director general and head of the Department of Nuclear Energy, in the presence of Heidi Hulan, Canada's ambassador to Austria and its permanent representative to United Nations organisations located in Vienna. She is currently also serving as the chair of the IAEA Board of Governors.
The IAEA said the focus of the agreement will be to support R&D on integrated, sustainable energy system designs and modelling focused on SMRs and microreactors, as well as renewable energy technologies for multi-purpose applications. This includes hydrogen production, desalination and district heating as part of the overall contribution to the climate change mitigation. The agreement includes the development of training and education resources and publications for effective capacity building on topics related to SMRs, nuclear-renewable integrated energy systems and nuclear cogeneration.
"These topics are very timely as we face the great challenge of producing enough energy to power global development, while ensuring we do no harm to our planet," said Chudakov. "Nuclear power, as a clean, reliable and sustainable source of energy can help us meet that challenge. And innovation, of course, is key to that success."
The IAEA Collaborating Centres Scheme provides the IAEA with a mechanism to designate eligible member state institutions as partners that assist in implementing its selected programmatic activities. The scheme - focused on research, development and training - was launched on three-year pilot basis in 2004, before being fully implemented in 2008. With the newly designated Ontario Tech University, there are now 49 active Collaborating Centres worldwide.
Continue Reading
#News#Sustainability