WANO Biennial General Meeting and IYNC Biennial Conference
The Association participated in the World Association of Nuclear Operators Biennial General Meeting (WANO BGM) and International Youth Nuclear Congress Biennial Conference 2024 (IYNC 2024), hosted in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Our Director General Sama Bilbao y León participated in the WANO BGM, representing and connecting the industry, contributing to knowledge sharing and providing a global perspective on the latest performance trends.
Sama was joined by Henry Preston, External Communication & Media Manager, for IYNC 2024. Henry spoke in the panel session Sustainability in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle, drawing on expertise in fuel knowledge, and communication, focusing on the need to simplify messaging when engaging with key stakeholders.
Henry also facilitated a workshop using the Association's Nuclear Nexus game, initially developed by Joel Watkins and Ronan Tanguy, and pioneered at European Nuclear Young Generation Forum 2023 in Poland.
The Nuclear Nexus Game is a discussion-based card game that tasks groups to provide a holistic overview of establishing a nuclear power program in a newcomer country.
Players explore the various stages, stakeholders, and strategies involved, gaining a comprehensive understanding of how these elements interconnect while sharing expertise and experiences from different sectors of the nuclear industry. Featuring around 30 cards, the game covers key topics such as supply chains, regulations and laws, finance, energy policy and politics, technological advancements, environmental considerations, and public engagement.
Finally, the Nuclear Nexus workshop was selected by participants as the best workshop of IYNC. During Sama's closing keynote, the DG remarked “Earlier this week the industry met for the WANO BGM, also here in the Abu Dhabi – and one of the key mottos of WANO is that we are hostages of each other - that was in terms of safety… if one reactor has an accident then the entire industry has had an accident. But I think this is also for our success – the success here of the Barakah project in UAE was success for the entire global nuclear industry – when we win, we win together.”
Hosting both events in the same location and timeframe, tapped into another key theme of IYNC, the importance of intergenerational decision making. Co-location meant many delegates were able to participate in both events. Involving the next generation in present discussions for the industry supports diversity of thought and developing leadership culture.
