Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – Uzbekistan is receiving International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s preliminary Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (pre-INIR) mission and Self Evaluation Report (SER) support mission, in the form of videoconference.

According to preliminary agreement between Uzbekistan and IAEA, in March 2021 Uzbekistan is expecting to receive IAEA’s phase-2 INIR mission. As a preparation step for such mission IAEA holds SER support mission and pre-INIR mission at a member state to enhance their SER report and to help the member state to “look in the mirror” and better understand their peaceful nuclear programme, identify the gaps and put down relevant future action plans.

INIR is a holistic peer review to assist Member States in assessing the status of their national infrastructure for the introduction of nuclear power. The review covers the comprehensive infrastructure required for developing a safe, secure and sustainable nuclear power programme. Before receiving an INIR Mission, the country must complete a self-evaluation of the 19 nuclear power infrastructure issues included in the IAEA’s “Milestones” approach, a comprehensive methodology that guides countries and organizations to work in a systematic way towards the introduction of nuclear power.

As such, in mid-2020 Agency for the Development of Nuclear Energy under the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzatom Agency), on behalf of the Republic of Uzbekistan sent the country’s preliminary SER report to the IAEA for the first review and to receive their feedback. On 9-12 November 2020, IAEA jointly with Uzatom Agency is holding Pre-INIR and SER support mission in Uzbekistan, where more than 

40 representatives from over 20 ministries and government organizations of the Republic of Uzbekistan are participating. At this meeting, IAEA specialists and external experts are sharing with their feedback and comments to enhance the SER report to make sure 

that Uzbekistan will have an effective and successful INIR mission in 2021.

The Government of Uzbekistan is putting a great amount of effort to develop its nuclear and regulatory infrastructure and is proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the IAEA in this matter. To ensure the safe development of its nuclear capabilities and the peaceful use of atomic energy, Uzbekistan is determined to strictly follow IAEA’s recommendations, all international standards and regulations.