15 – 16 June 2021: Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associate Nivedita S Attend Arctic Council’s EPPR Radiation Expert Group Meeting

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associate Nivedita S attended the meeting of the Arctic Council Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group’s (EPPR) Radiation Expert Group (RAD EG) held virtually from 15 to 16 June 2021. They were part of the delegation of the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS), a non-governmental organisation with observer status with the Arctic Council. The function of the RAD EG, which was established in 2019 is to facilitate the implementation of the EPPR mandate and strategic plan framework in regard of radiological and nuclear emergencies. Discussions centred around key projects of the RAD EG, including one on radiological/nuclear risk assessment in the Arctic. Risk scenarios that were considered as part of this project included an accident involving (i) a floating nuclear power plant while in transit; (ii) the shipment of nuclear materials at any stage in its cradle-to-grave lifecycle; and (iii) a next generation nuclear power plant used to generate electricity for a small town or localized industry. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was also invited to share its work in relation to EPPR. For more information on RAD EG, see https://eppr.org/expert-groups/radiation/.