The United Nations watchdog agency successfully complete an simulation — by “accident” — at Mexico’s Laguna Verde nuclear power plant, intended to test national and international emergency responses should a real incident happen.
Some 74 member countries of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who led the preparation and exercise of the exercise, and 10 international organizations, participated in the 48-hour drill, which began on Wednesday at the plant, a two-unit facility along the Gulf of Mexico coast.
“The exercise was a success in that it demonstrated strengths,” said Rafael Martincic of the IAEA, “but also the weak points in the international emergency response system. Only by identifying weaknesses can we improve the system’s response to large-scale radiological emergencies. On behalf of the IAEA, we thank all participating Member States and international organizations for their dedication and cooperation.”
Wednesday’s exercise was the third in a series, after several drills in Gravelines, France in 2001 and at Cernavoda, Romania four years later.
“The event,” stated the IAEA, “challenged the readiness of nuclear safety, emergency operations, and communication mechanisms to respond to a theoretical radiological or nuclear mishap.”
Source: United Nations
