Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors : Proceedings of an International Conference Held in Vienna, Austria, 10–14 June 2024

The IAEA organized an international conference focused on managing spent nuclear fuel from power reactors, examining challenges from past practices and emerging SMR/AMR technologies to future national strategies. Discussions highlighted stakeholder engagement and the role of young professionals in ensuring lasting energy solutions.

The IAEA hosted the International Conference on the Management of Spent Fuel from Power Reactors in Vienna from 10–14 June 2024, under the theme “Meeting the Moment.” The event emphasized, among other aspects, the vital role of the younger generation of professionals in sustaining the implementation of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) management programmes, as it is a major intergenerational undertaking. The conference served as a platform for sharing national SNF management strategies and exploring how spent fuel management supports nuclear energy’s evolving role in a changing energy mix. The scope of the conference covered all stages of the management of spent fuel from nuclear power reactors past, present and future, including SMR/AMR technologies, and how decisions taken in the rest of the nuclear fuel cycle could affect its management. This publication provides a summary of the discussions held during technical sessions, plenary panel discussions (two on national strategies, one on stakeholder engagement and one on innovation and integration), summaries of the presented papers, as well as opening and closing remarks. All presented papers are available in the supplementary files on the IAEA publication website.