IAEA Finds Morocco Well-Prepared for Nuclear Emergencies Despite No Power Plants

The IAEA assessed Morocco’s capabilities and level of preparedness for nuclear and radiological emergencies from October 24 to November 2. The kingdom does not have a nuclear power plant (it plans to build one), but the National Center for Energy, Sciences and Nuclear Technologies (CNESTEN) operates the MA-R1 TRIGA research reactor at the Maâmora Nuclear Research Center (located in Rabat), used for research in nuclear energy and geochronology (determination of the age of rocks, fossils and sediments). For 10 days, the review team of six people (experts from New Zealand, Spain, Sudan, the United States and IAEA staff) met in Rabat with their counterparts from AMSSNuR, designated as the first African center for capacity building of the IAEA for response to nuclear emergencies in 2019, but also a number of organizations with responsibilities in the field of nuclear emergency response within the government.

"Overall, Morocco has a solid foundation for its EPR arrangements," said mission leader Brian Ahier, Director General of Environmental Sciences and Radiation Protection at Health Canada. "This EPREV mission identified a high level of capability across the country for radiological emergency field operations. The team recommended that Morocco finalize the detailed documentation of its emergency management system, which will help the country further strengthen its nuclear emergency response arrangements and capabilities in the future," he added.

Several strengths have been identified in the context of Morocco’s nuclear emergency response. These include: strong commitment to nuclear and radiological emergency preparedness among all stakeholders; hosting and participating in training, awareness and capacity building to strengthen national and international nuclear emergency responses, etc. The review team also made recommendations whose implementation will further strengthen the nuclear emergency response. These include, updating the national hazard assessment to include a specific analysis of nuclear and radiation facilities and sources in Morocco, revising the protection strategy in line with the latest IAEA safety standards, etc.

"Cooperation with the IAEA through the EPREV mission has allowed Morocco to clearly know the aspects to be further improved in terms of nuclear emergency response capabilities," said Mounji Zniber, acting director of AMSSNuR. "We are delighted to be leaders in awareness and capacity building and we plan to continue cooperation with the IAEA in the future," he added.