Exercises & simulations

The seventh edition in the ConvEx-3 series — the full-scale international exercises the International Atomic Energy Agency runs every three to five years to test the Early Notification Convention and the Assistance Convention. Romania hosted for the second time, after 2005, through CNCAN and DSU.

The scenario simulated a severe nuclear emergency at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant, with activity at Cernavodă, across Constanța county, at Ciolpani and in Bucharest.

The 2025 edition introduced three new elements: a regional approach, involving Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova; nuclear security components — cyber and physical protection; and an integrated method for planning, conducting and evaluating the exercise.

Seven countries took part alongside Romania — Bulgaria, Canada, France, Lithuania, the Republic of Moldova, Sweden and the United States — together with seven international organisations and roughly 25–30 national institutions.

A national nuclear emergency response exercise, organised by CNCAN between 3 and 5 October 2023.

Its purpose was to verify and confirm the integration of the plans and procedures set out in the National Response Plan for Nuclear or Radiological Emergencies — tested with every actor involved and together with international assistance, for a hypothetical event at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant.

The exercise ran under the Norway Grants programme — “Improving nuclear safety and security in Romania. Increasing disaster resilience”, Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014–2021 — with the support of DSA, the Norwegian radiation and nuclear safety authority.

Exercises of this kind are standard practice in the field. They prepare the response for improbable events, precisely so that people, the environment and property are protected if those events do occur.

The first ConvEx-3 edition hosted by Romania. The series comprises the full-scale international exercises of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which test the Early Notification Convention and the Assistance Convention.