ABACC participated in the 44th Annual Meeting of ESARDA (European Safeguards Research and Development Association)

The 44th Annual Meeting of ESARDA was held from 13 to 17 May 2022.

The Secretary of ABACC, Dr. Marco Marzo, was invited to give a brief speech at the opening session of the meeting. Officers of ABACC participated virtually in technical working groups related to the application of safeguards.

Mr. Marzo highlighted the full compliance with ABACC’s annual verification plans in Argentina and Brazil in times of pandemic; the challenges faced to continue the inspections, and the relevance of the cooperation of the countries and the good coordination with the IAEA to successfully overcome them. He also highlighted the use of innovative technologies such as the Laser Curtain for Containment (LCCT) – 2D laser, which was tested for joint use between ABACC and the IAEA and it will be one of the components of the dual safeguards system for the dry storage of an Argentine nuclear power plant.

Mr. Marzo underlined the importance of institutions such as ESARDA and the long and excellent relationship of cooperation also with the INMM and EURATOM throughout these 30 years of ABACC’s work, and recalled the recent signing of ABACC-ESARDA Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), as well as the panel held at the INMM-ESARDA joint annual meeting in 2021 dedicated to regional/international cooperation in safeguards. This panel was a trigger for the revitalization of the cooperation between EURATOM and ABACC.

Finally, he mentioned the continuous training of ABACC inspectors and the importance of the interaction of the specialized community to have state-of-the-art technologies and a qualified and trained inspectors to ensure effective safeguards.