The company JAVYS joined the "club" of Collaborating Centres with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and in the field of nuclear facilities decommissioning, Slovakia became the third country with which the IAEA signed a cooperation agreement.

The meeting and signing of the agreement took place online, on 23rd March, 2021 at the premises of JAVYS in Bratislava and the IAEA in Vienna. Participants were: Michail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy, Pavol Štuller, Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of JAVYS, Peter Mišík, Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Slovakia in Austria and Marta Žiaková, Chairman of the Slovak Nuclear Regulatory Authority.

The aim of mutual cooperation of the Collaborating Centre with the IAEA and the company JAVYS, a. s., is primarily the exchange of professional experience in the field of nuclear decommissioning between all Member States and increasing the implementation efficiency of decommissioning and waste management projects worldwide. There are a total of 47 Collaborating Centres with the IAEA in the world, Slovakia is the 48th one. In the field of decommissioning of nuclear facilities, there are three Collaborating Centres, including Slovakia.

“IAEA Collaborating Centre is one of our key cooperation mechanisms, and I am very happy that JAVYS, a.s. is now part of this exclusive group of institutions, especially to help the Department of Nuclear Energy in supporting Member States’ efforts in the areas of nuclear facilities decommissioning and associated waste management. The access to JAVYS infrastructure and expertise will be an invaluable opportunity to share good practices and support the development and implementation of education and training courses in Member States, as well as learning and training materials on nuclear decommissioning.“ said Michail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy:

The agreement between the IAEA and JAVYS marks another step towards sharing of good practices, promote deployment of proven and advanced technologies to implement nuclear decommissioning and contribute to the long-term development of a skilled workforce and transfer of technical knowledge, in particular for WWER reactors decommissioning. Slovak company JAVYS will be the third IAEA Collaborating Centre in the field of decommissioning with specific practical knowledge and implementation skills based on their progressing dismantling and any other activities of the final stage of nuclear facility lifetime.

“This partnership between the Agency and JAVYS is yet another excellent example of how can Slovakia actively contribute to the IAEA’s work and its mandatory activities. JAVYS is recognised as one of the key organization in the Slovak nuclear sector responsible to deal with decommissioning, waste management and other nuclear legacy tasks. The company has continuously been demonstrating its interest in enhancing international cooperation with relevant organizations and scientific community. In this regard, the IAEA plays a central and the most important role,” said Ambassador Peter Mišík.

The Collaborating Centre is located at Jaslovske Bohunice, the closest nuclear power site to the IAEA Headquarters. It hosts three nuclear power plants (of which A1 and V1 being in decommissioning process and V2 in operation) and supporting spent fuel and waste management facilities.

“In Bohunice we can effectively demonstrate technical progress and safety in physical and radiological characterisation, decontamination, dismantling, demolition and associated waste management,” said Pavol Štuller, JAVYS Chief Executive Officer. “Our cooperation with the IAEA will be centred on implemented and planned work and further enhanced as the Collaborating Centre progresses over the coming years,” concluded JAVYS Chief Executive Officer.

What is IAEA Collaborating Centre?

To promote the practical use of nuclear technologies, the IAEA collaborates with the designated institutions around the world. Through the Collaborating Centres network, these organizations in Member States can assist the IAEA by undertaking original research and development and training relating to nuclear science, technologies and their safe and secure applications.

Mgr. Miriam Žiaková
Spokesperson