An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) delegation stated that Morocco has made significant efforts to create a new legal and regulatory framework to uphold and develop its current radiation and nuclear safety framework.
In addition to calling for strengthening regulatory monitoring of the nation’s research reactor, the expert committee suggested further steps to finish the transition from a 1971 statute and bring the new laws into compliance with IAEA safety standards.
As read on the IAEA’s official website, The Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) team concluded the 10-day mission to Morocco on December 6, 2023, at the request of the Moroccan Government.
“Morocco has made significant progress in establishing an effective and consistent regulatory framework for nuclear and radiation safety,” said IRRS team leader Fabien Feron, Director of the Transport and Sources Department with the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).
The team was hosted by the “Agence Marocaine de Sûreté et de Sécurité Nucléaires et Radiologiques” (AMSSNuR), the national regulatory body for nuclear and radiation safety and nuclear security.
“The Government and AMSSNuR should continue working together to ensure draft regulations are all promulgated and that a periodic safety review is soon undertaken at the CNESTEN research reactor,” said Feron.
The sixteen-person team examined Morocco’s nuclear and radiation safety legislative, regulatory, and governmental frameworks. During this first visit, this IRRS team observed regulatory oversight activities at a research reactor, a cyclotron to produce isotopes for use in medicine and their transport, a radioactive waste management facility, a clinic’s radiotherapy department, and an industrial radiography company. They also conducted interviews and discussions with AMSSNuR staff.
The same source states that nuclear and radiation technologies are used in Morocco for industrial, medical, agricultural, research, and educational purposes.
At the Maâmora Nuclear Research Centre, an MA-R1 TRIGA MARK II research reactor is run by the National Centre for Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Technology (CNESTEN).
Although there are no nuclear power reactors in Morocco, the nation views nuclear power generation as a long-term solution with other low-carbon energy sources to meet its energy needs, said the IAEA.
According to the mission, Morocco’s main challenge is finishing the transition phase to a new national nuclear legal and regulatory framework, even though AMSSNuR has demonstrated several commendable performances.
A new law passed by the government in 2014 resulted in a reorganization of the nuclear supervision authority, with AMSSNuR serving as the independent regulating organization. Bringing the regulations into compliance with IAEA safety standards is another major challenge.
The final IAEA mission report will be provided to the Moroccan Government in about three months and made public.
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