From May 22 to May 26, the Saint Petersburg branch of the Rosatom Technical Academy hosted the IAEA Interregional Training Course on Effective Stakeholder Engagement for New Nuclear Power Programmes. 19 specialists from Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Turkey participated in the event. The course was funded by the extrabudgetary contribution of the Russian Federation to the implementation of projects of the IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme.
The five-day program of the training course included lectures from international and Russian experts, practical exercises, a visit to the public information centre for atomic energy, and a technical tour to the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant.
Mikhail Chudakov, Deputy Director General of the IAEA - Director of the Department of Nuclear Energy, and Viktor Mazepov, Director of the Center for International Cooperation of the Technical Academy of Rosatom, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech.
In their speeches, they stressed the importance of establishing effective communication with stakeholders and raising awareness in order to initiate or carry out a nuclear power program or related activities.
The participants started the second day with a visit to the Public Information Centre, where Tatiana Yanichkina, General Director of the Energy of the Future, gave a lecture. She shared Russian experience in informing the public about the principles of the nuclear industry and the prospects for the development of nuclear energy.
The third day was devoted to a technical tour to the site of the Leningrad NPP. The participants visited the training centre with a full-scope simulator of the main control room. Then the participants went to the site of the 6th power unit: they walked near the spray pools, then visited the turbine shop, and at the end of the tour stopped at the cooling towers.
On the fourth day of the event, the President of Rusatom International Network, Vadim Titov, shared with the participants the experience of the State Corporation Rosatom in communication support for nuclear technologies abroad.
On the last day, the participants shared their impressions, noted the usefulness of the course in their professional activities, and thanked the organizers. Mikhail Chudakov delivered the closing remarks and presented certificates to the participants.
For reference:
Stakeholder engagement is one of the 19 elements of nuclear infrastructure which were described in the IAEA Milestones in the Development of a National Infrastructure for Nuclear Power publication.
Interaction with a wide range of stakeholders is an integral part of any nuclear program. The participation of a wide range of stakeholders in the decision-making process of nuclear power programs can improve public awareness, understanding and confidence in the application of nuclear science and technology, as well as strengthen communication between key organizations in this field.
The training course is organized by the Center for International Cooperation. Earlier, a course on this topic was also organized at the St. Petersburg branch of the Rosatom Technical Academy in 2019.