Rostechnadzor delegation takes part in 58th meeting of IAEA Safety Standards Commission

Vienna, December 2025 — The 58th meeting of the IAEA Safety Standards Commission (SSC) was held from December 8 to 11, 2025. The Russian Federation was represented by a Rostekhnadzor delegation led by Deputy Chairman Alexey Ferapontov.
IAEA Deputy Director General Karin Hervieu opened the meeting, calling on delegates to collaborate in strengthening global nuclear safety. As usual, information was provided on the work of relevant safety standards committees, and drafts of new IAEA standards were approved for publication.
Key decisions
SSC has approved four draft safety standards, including revisions to “Monitoring for Protection of the Public and the Environment” (DS505), “Investigation of Site Characteristics and Evaluation of Radiation Risks to the Public and the Environment in Site Evaluation for Nuclear Installations” (DS529), “Geotechnical Aspects in Siting and Design of Nuclear Installations” (DS531), and “Rules for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material” (DS543).
Two new terms of reference for the development of safety standards were also approved, including “Safety Assessment for the Decommissioning of Facilities” (DS555) and “Safe Use of Unsealed Sources” (DS556).
Between May and November 2025, the IAEA published four updated documents, including guidance on probabilistic safety analysis for nuclear power plants and on the safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities.
Long-term plan for the development of safety standards
The development of a long-term plan for IAEA safety standards was central to the agenda. Its primary goal is to ensure balance and harmonization of more than 130 existing standards, creating a coherent framework for regulating the safety of all reactor types, including innovative designs.
To improve the efficiency of the SPESS B process, SSC supported proposals to transition from two stages of document review to one, consolidate approval processes within the IAEA safety standards committees and Member States, reduce review periods (from 120 to 60 days), and employ digital tools and artificial intelligence for document processing.
It was also agreed to conduct a periodic review of the IAEA safety standards every five years to ensure they are kept relevant.
The next SSC meeting is scheduled for March 16–20, 2026, in Vienna. The draft implementation plan for the long-term plan, approved by all relevant committees, will be presented to the SSC members for review at this meeting.

The IAEA Safety Standards Commission is a permanent working body whose members include senior officials from national nuclear safety regulators. Meetings are held twice a year.