IAEA 70th General Conference: Andra joins international discussions on radioactive waste management
From 14 to 18 September 2026, Andra took part, as a member of the French delegation, in the 70th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. The event provided an opportunity to continue discussions on radioactive waste management with the IAEA, international partners and counterpart organisations, while also launching a new cooperation with Andra’s South African counterpart.
Held each year, the IAEA General Conference brings together representatives of the Agency’s Member States to review its programme and budget and discuss issues within its mandate. For Andra, the Conference provides an opportunity to engage with international partners, particularly those responsible for radioactive waste management, as well as with international organisations active in this field.
Andra CEO Lydie Evrard met with representatives of the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), as well as representatives from Ukraine, South Africa, Estonia and the European Commission.
Discussions with Ukrainian organisations involved in nuclear safety and the management of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone focused in particular on opportunities for cooperation in radioactive waste management, within the broader context of developing French and European relations with Ukraine in the nuclear sector.
Lydie Evrard also met with IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi and with Karine Herviou, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Safety and Security. These discussions took place within the framework of a long-standing collaboration between Andra and the IAEA, further strengthened in November 2025 through the signing of a cooperation agreement.
A new partnership with South Africa
The Conference was also marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Andra and the National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute (NRWDI), its South African counterpart. Signed by Lydie Evrard and NRWDI Chief Executive Officer Riedewaan Bakardien, the agreement establishes a framework for cooperation between the two organisations. Initial areas of cooperation include roadmaps for deep geological disposal and national radioactive waste inventories, as well as the exchange of operational experience from surface disposal facilities in France and South Africa.
Andra also participated in several side events organised alongside the General Conference. Lydie Evrard spoke at the event “Developing Nuclear Energy through Human Capital: the French Approach”, organised by France and coordinated by the International Institute of Nuclear Energy (I2EN). Alongside other representatives of the French nuclear sector, she shared her professional experience and discussed knowledge transfer and skills development in the context of Andra’s long-term, multi-generational projects. Fabien Hubert, Head of International Relations, also presented the French approach to dialogue between the nuclear safety authority and Andra during an event organised by the German delegation on international experience in regulator-operator relations in radioactive waste management.
About I2EN
Established in 2010 at the initiative of the French government, with the support of leading nuclear industry players and major institutions, the International Institute of Nuclear Energy (I2EN) serves as a gateway to French expertise in nuclear education and training. It supports countries seeking to develop the skills and training capabilities required for nuclear energy programmes.
Andra and the IAEA
Andra has been actively involved in the IAEA’s work on radioactive waste management for many years, contributing its expertise to technical working groups, international networks and other initiatives covering areas such as geological and surface disposal, radioactive waste inventories and safety assessment.
