IAEA Assesses Sri Lanka’s Nuclear Infrastructure Progress
As Sri Lanka embarks on the development of its nuclear power programme, the country is making progress in establishing the necessary nuclear infrastructure, according to an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) review mission that recently concluded.
The follow-up Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission, conducted at the request of the Government of Sri Lanka, took place from 14 to 18 July 2025.
The mission team, comprising two international experts from Bulgaria and Türkiye and two IAEA staff, assessed the progress made to address the recommendations and suggestions of the Phase 1 2022 INIR mission. A Phase 1 INIR mission assesses the readiness of a country to make a knowledgeable commitment to a nuclear power programme using the Phase 1 criteria of the IAEA Milestones Approach and Evaluation Methodology. The 2022 mission made 26 recommendations and 6 suggestions to assist Sri Lanka in advancing its infrastructure development.
In 2010, Sri Lanka’s Cabinet approved the initiation of studies for implementing a nuclear power programme in the country. In 2019, a Nuclear Energy Programme Implementing Organization (NEPIO) was established to coordinate related efforts, which included the Ministry of Energy, the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Board (SLAEB), the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Sri Lanka Atomic Energy Regulatory Council (SLAERC). In 2024, the government decided on further actions to consider a nuclear power programme.
The INIR team concluded that Sri Lanka has made good progress to address recommendations and suggestions from the Phase 2 INIR mission in 2022. Sri Lanka has already identified five candidate sites for the nuclear power plant, established a management structure to oversee the procurement process for nuclear reactors, drafted a comprehensive nuclear law and included nuclear power in its current long-term energy planning for the period 2025-2044.
Sri Lanka hosted a national workshop on nuclear law in November 2023, as well as an IAEA Site and External Events Design Review Service (SEED) mission in 2024, which reviewed the country’s selection process to identify candidate sites to build its first nuclear power plant. A SEED follow up mission was also conducted, which took place in July this year.
“Sri Lanka is actively working on addressing the recommendations and suggestions from the main INIR mission in 2022,” said mission team leader John Haddad from IAEA’s Nuclear Infrastructure Development Section. “This indicates the level of commitment of Sri Lanka to conduct the required studies and make a knowledgeable decision regarding the nuclear power programme.”
In the opening ceremony for the INIR Mission, Hon. Eng. Kumara Jayakody, Cabinet Minister of Energy, welcomed the INIR mission as “a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s journey towards a secure, sustainable and forward-looking energy future as we take decisive steps forward in exploring the role of nuclear power in our national energy mix.”
Nuclear Power is included as an energy source within the CEB Least Cost Long Term Generation and Expansion Plan 2025-2044. According to the plan, accommodating a nuclear power unit above 600 MWe to the Sri Lankan network will be technically challenging due to the network’s condition, projected demand growth, and the generation mix which is expected to be dominated by variable renewable energy sources. The team said that further work is needed related to the finalization of strategies and studies in various areas of infrastructure development such as, among others, management, human resource development, stakeholder involvement, radioactive waste management and industrial involvement.
About Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) Missions
INIR missions are based on the IAEA Milestones Approach, with its 19 infrastructure issues, three phases (consider, prepare and construct) and three milestones (decide, contract and operate). INIR missions enable IAEA Member State representatives to have in-depth discussions with international experts about experiences and best practices in different countries.
In developing its recommendations, the INIR team considers the comments made by the relevant national organizations. Implementation of any of the team’s recommendations and suggestions is at the discretion of the Member State requesting the mission. The results of the INIR mission are expected to help the Member State develop an action plan to fill any gaps, which in turn will help the development of the national nuclear infrastructure.
INIR follow-up missions assess the implementation of the recommendations and suggestions provided during the main mission.
https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-reviews-progress-of-sri-lankas-nuclear-infrastructure-development