The IAEA this week designated the Moroccan Agency of Nuclear and Radiological Safety and Security (AMSSNuR) as the first African IAEA Capacity Building Centre (CBC) for Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR), bringing the total of such centres worldwide to seven. The designation of the centre was part of an agreement on cooperation for radiological EPR education, training, knowledge management and networking and human resource development, signed on May 21 in Vienna by IAEA Deputy Director General Juan Carlos Lentijo, Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security, and Khammar Mrabit, Director General of the AMSSNuR. “The IAEA appreciates the willingness of AMSSNuR to expand the IAEA’s network of CBCs for EPR,” said Mr Lentijo. “With this signing, we strengthen our cooperation to build EPR expertise in Africa.” The Moroccan EPR CBC will organize, in collaboration with the IAEA, training workshops and other events to enable African countries to strengthen their national EPR capacities. The Centre will share knowledge on the IAEA safety standards and the IAEA’s series of EPR publications through lectures and practical demonstrations.

Lasers, atom traps, krypton. These exciting, isotope hydrology techniques were discussed, together with the importance of big data, during the IAEA’s International Symposium on Isotope Hydrology that took place in Vienna this week. Almost 250 international experts from 78 countries exchanged ideas and knowledge on this wide-reaching application of nuclear technology. “This IAEA Isotope Hydrology Symposium is a testament to the important role nuclear techniques have played in improving water management for almost 60 years,” said Melissa Denecke, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences. Understanding water problems At the Symposium, experts shared examples of how countries, cities and regions are facing varying degrees of water stress, ranging from overexploitation of aquifers and surface waters, to drought and water shortages, to systemic and widespread surface and groundwater pollution. Although United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6 includes access to safe water for everyone by 2030, statistics from the Global Water Institute suggest that 700 million people worldwide could be displaced by intense water scarcity as soon as 2030. This is so because, globally, water supplies are being stretched beyond sustainable limits to meet the growing demands from population growth and intensive agriculture. “Overall, the global trajectory for sustainable and clean water looks rather bleak in many regions, and yet we have also seen positive signs that are a testament to taking serious action on water issues,” Denecke said. She gave the example of the changing attitudes on conserving water in Cape Town, South Africa, after their water crisis, or the long-term reversal of serious nitrate contamination of shallow aquifers in the Netherlands. “These, in the global context, are but small costly steps in the right direction,” she said. To read more about the work of the IAEA in Isotope Hydrology, read our latest Bulletin on Water.

5月22日，中核集团会计核算服务中心正式启动，该中心的启动吹响了深入推进集团财务管理体系改革的冲锋号，中核集团将力争在五年内建成具有核工业特色的国内领先的财务共享中心。 　　据介绍，集中会计核算和财务共享服务可以有效地减少传统会计核算业务工作量，提升工作效率和质量，将更多财务人员聚焦于财务决策支持、成本分析、预算管理、风险防控等价值创造领域，更好地服务于集团的发展战略。 　　启动会上，会计核算服务中心与中核集团公司总部及成员单位签订了服务协议。据了解，中心的建设初期将为集团总部和部分京区单位提供会计核算业务，通过两年时间探索和经验积累，进一步扩大服务单位数量及业务范围，将逐步打造成集团公司的会计处理中心、数据管理中心、人才培养中心、专家咨询中心、政策研究中心“五位一体”的财务共享中心。

　为深入开展核应激医学技术的基础研究与应用开发，5月15日，中核集团中国宝原投资有限公司与成都医学院签订共建“成都医学院第二附属医院核应激医学研究中心”合作协议，这也是中核集团成立的首个核应激医学中心。这标志着双方共建核应激医学中心正式启动，将对进一步提高中核集团在核医学领域的科研能力、加快核医学科建设、打造科研平台及专业化人才队伍、提升医院核心竞争力发挥重要作用。 　　核应激是研究核医学照射或核事故照射过程中机体的应答反应。研究核应激将为核技术应用对人体造成的影响程度提供认知依据和可以量化的标准，弥补现有临床上核医学技术基础研究不足的现状，有利于掌握核技术应用的技术改进和损伤防护。 　　据了解，中国宝原作为中核集团核医疗板块的投资平台，在医疗健康、核应急与放射治疗、产业服务等领域实现了多元发展，积极打造核特色医疗全产业链，同时高度重视位于核特色医疗产业上游的核医学研发工作，致力于推动核技术在医学领域的应用创新。 　　2015年12月，成都医学院与中国宝原签署协议，核工业四一六医院成为成都医学院第二附属医院，双方合作共建。目前，该医院已发展成为三级甲等综合性医院，在放射性损伤诊治、同位素治疗技术等医疗领域有着较高的知名度，核医学专科是四川省甲级重点专科，门诊量位居全国第一位、甲亢碘-131治疗量位居全国第一位、核素显像量位居全国前10名，是国内最大的甲状腺疾病治疗中心,单中心治疗量全国第一，并已建成国家药物临床实验基地(GCP)。

The BIG potential for nuclear micro-reactors The U.S. nuclear energy sector is going through one of the most innovative and transformative times in our history.We are literally witnessing the advent of an entirely new class of advanced reactors that will soon come in a wide variety of sizes and applications.More than 50 U.S. companies are working on designs that are smaller, scalable, versatile and even mobile—providing far greater access to nuclear power than ever before.Micro-reactors will likely be the first advanced reactors that we see enter the U.S. market.American developers are currently working on gas and heat pipe-cooled designs that could debut by the mid-2020s, which will be absolute game-changers for the industry. Analysis: THE BIG potential of nuclear micro-reactors U.S. Department of Energy's Ed McGinnis discusses the potential impact of nuclear micro-reactors. SMALL AND VERSATILE.Micro-reactors are simply smaller, factory-built systems that can be easily transported by trucks, ships, airplanes or railcars.Some micro-reactors can be set up in days, not years, to provide reliable heat and power to a host of places, ranging from residential and remote areas to military bases.Micro-reactors may be small but they pack a real punch in terms of power.A single unit typically generates 1 to 10 megawatts-electric.To put this in perspective, a single megawatt of electricity can power approximately 1,000 homes. That means these systems could provide up to 10,0000 homes with clean power—24 hours a day, 7 days a week—for 10 years without stopping! That is remarkable.They can also be used for other applications such as community heating or to provide clean drinking water. To put it simply, micro-reactors can operate in places large reactors can’t. They provide choice to customers that need a constant and reliable source of clean power without the costs of a large construction project. Click above to download our micro-reactor infographic. POWERING REMOTE LOCATIONS.Micro-reactors are ultra-hardened, ultra-safe and highly efficient systems that can operate for 10 years or more without refueling.Many companies are looking at the diesel generator market as one possible entry point.Remote areas and even our own military bases are at risk to supply chain disruptions and high energy costs that could leave them without power if a shipment is missed.A micro-reactor eliminates this risk by providing fuel security and emissions-free electricity around-the-clock for years to come without interruption.PRODUCT CHOICE.The U.S. Department of Energy is partnering with a number of micro-reactor developers to help bring these innovative designs to market. The success of U.S. micro-reactors has the potential to literally change peoples’ lives and empower communities in ways never before realized. While the role of large reactors continues to be important to our nation and others around the world, we can’t just have a choice of large and larger nuclear reactors. The customer needs product choice and that is precisely what these smaller systems provide.It’s a privilege to be working with so many innovative companies