2026

International gathering, chaired by Juan Carlos Lentijo, wraps up a week of technical sessions focused on harmonisation and emerging technologies

Experts from the Spanish regulator led key debates on safety culture and the integration of climate change into risk assessments

The Spanish Nuclear Safety Council has concluded its participation in the International Conference on Nuclear Installation Safety, organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna and widely known by its acronym, TIC (Topical Issues in nuclear installation safety Conference). Throughout the week, the proceedings were chaired by the president of the CSN, Juan Carlos Lentijo.

The conference brought together regulators, operators, and experts from across the globe under the title "Learning from the Past to Accelerate the Future." It concluded its sessions by defining the core guidelines and recommendations that will serve as a benchmark for the drafting of future safety standards by the international agency.

Throughout these technical sessions, the delegation from the Spanish regulator played a prominent role in discussions focused on the future challenges facing the sector. In this context, Asunción Barquín, a member of the Technical Directorate for Nuclear Safety, served as co-chair of the session titled “Leadership, Culture and Human Performance in Nuclear Safety”. This block analysed key organisational factors, the evolution of leadership models towards collaborative approaches, and the nuclear safety culture lessons learned during the pre-operational phases of complex projects.

Furthermore, the participation of the CSN’s Deputy Director for Engineering, Santiago Aleza, served to showcase the regulator’s advancements in regulatory engineering and environmental resilience. During the session “Evolution of Risk Insights for the Siting and Design of Nuclear Installations”, Aleza addressed the impact of climate change and extreme weather events on nuclear safety, presenting Spain's national strategy to tackle these challenges through regulatory oversight.

The conference agenda covered a broad spectrum of global priorities. Central themes debated included safety in maritime environments and the licensing challenges posed by floating reactors, as well as the practical application of graded and risk-informed approaches. The gathering also featured dedicated sessions on severe accident analysis, thermal interaction phenomena, and response plans for prolonged operational disruptions. Additionally, the progressive digitalisation of the sector was addressed. In this area, experts examined the opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning when applied to control systems, radiological monitoring, and predictive maintenance at facilities.

The closing session served to synthesise the conclusions drawn from the various thematic blocks. IAEA spokespersons outlined strategies to optimise the utilisation of accumulated operating experience and the assimilation of innovative technologies. Meanwhile, the final presentations focused on the shared need to raise the level of international cooperation and to develop the capabilities of the next generation of nuclear safety leaders.

Within this closing framework, the president of the TIC, Juan Carlos Lentijo, took part in an interactive discussion featuring real-time audience voting to deliver his final conclusions on the conference. Lentijo structured his closing remarks around three fundamental messages: the need of experiences to drive innovation; the premise that technological progress is only sustainable if accompanied by safety; and the urgency of translating international cooperation into practical, tangible results. Furthermore, after thanking the delegations for their active participation, he emphasised the crucial role of the younger generations in the future of the sector, reminding attendees that, in any scenario of technological change, the shared responsibility to protect people and the environment remains unalterable.

About TIC

Since 1998, the IAEA has organised these conferences to provide a forum for debating current practices and challenges in nuclear installation safety, fostering collaboration among regulators, plant designers, operators, and other stakeholders.

Over the years, the TIC conferences have evolved to address top-tier issues, ranging from the continuous improvement of safety to the safety of advanced nuclear power plants. The most recent editions have focused on the safety of advanced reactor designs, including small modular reactors (SMRs) and next-generation nuclear power plants.