IAEA and Romania hosting nuclear emergency exercise
More than 75 countries and 10 international organisations are taking part in what the International Atomic Energy Agency says is the "world’s largest and most complex international nuclear emergency exercise, simulating a severe accident at Romania’s Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant".
The ConvEx-3 (2025) full-scale exercise is designed to test global readiness for a nuclear or radiological emergency. They last 36 hours and are generally held every five years and based on simulated events in a member state.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said: "Participants will simulate real-time decisions, emergency communications and international coordination under the Convention on Early Notification of a Nuclear Accident (Early Notification Convention) and the Convention on Assistance in the Case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency (Assistance Convention). These will include protective actions such as simulated evacuation and iodine distribution, public outreach and communication, medical response coordination, and the management of food and trade restrictions based on radiological assessments."
During the exercise the IAEA will activate its Incident and Emergency Centre and test the Unified System for Information Exchange and the International Radiation Monitoring System Platform.
Romania, which borders five other countries, last hosted such an exercise in 2005. Its Cernavodă nuclear power plant is 160 kilometres east of Bucharest and close to the Black Sea.
Cantemir Ciurea-Ercău, President of Romania's National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control (CNCAN), said: "Hosting ConvEx-3 is both a responsibility and an opportunity for Romania. In today’s interconnected world, effective preparedness must transcend borders - this exercise reflects our shared commitment to safety, cooperation and transparency."
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi said: "This exercise is a clear demonstration of the international community’s commitment to protect people and the environment by working together, across borders and systems, when every minute counts."
