27 October 2009: More than 260 participants from 54 member States have gathered in Vienna, Austria, to attend an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conference exploring the role of nuclear energy in the 21st century, especially that of water cooled reactors.

Expecting that many nuclear power plants will be built in the next century in countries without previous nuclear experience, the primary objective of the conference is to facilitate information exchange on technical and infrastructural issues. Themes of the conference include: challenges and opportunities to launch new nuclear power programmes; design and construction of advanced water cooled reactors (AWCR); safety and performance achievement in existing water cooled reactors; and innovative and advanced applications of water cooled reactors. [IAEA Press Release] [Conference programme and presentations]