Vienna: Over 100 delegates met in Vienna last month to accelerate the establishment of a global nuclear liability regime under the framework of a global convention. The Fifth Meeting of the Contracting Parties and Signatories to the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC) was held at the IAEAs headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on 23-26 June 2025.
According to EMM, industry participants highlighted the need to establish a global nuclear liability regime based on the CSC, which would provide legal certainty to all stakeholders in the nuclear industry worldwide, including operators, insurers, suppliers, and investors. The meeting also provided a forum for further practical discussions related to the operation of the CSC.
Ben McRae, Chair of the Fifth Meeting and Assistant General Counsel for Civilian Nuclear Programs at the US Department of Energy, stated that the CSC is the best way to address nuclear liability, as it provides legal certainty, minimizes supply chain concerns, and increases investor confidence. A specialist panel discussed the importance of the CSC with reference to the impact of nuclear liability on the cost of nuclear projects. The last part of the meeting focused on a possible amendment to the CSC to eliminate the obligation for States with no nuclear reactors to contribute to the convention’s supplementary international fund, encouraging more countries to join.
The meeting demonstrated growing momentum towards broad adherence to the CSC, which already covers approximately forty percent of nuclear power plants worldwide. McRae emphasized that a global regime based on the CSC is necessary to achieve the full promise of nuclear power to provide safe, secure, clean, and affordable energy. The CSC assures prompt and equitable compensation for damage to persons, property, and the environment, providing the legal certainty necessary for operators, suppliers, investors, lenders, and insurers to participate in nuclear projects.
Anthony Wetherall, Head of the Nuclear and Treaty Law Section in the IAEA Office of Legal Affairs, stated that the CSC is an important building block in establishing a global nuclear liability regime. He noted that this year’s fifth meeting was conducted in light of the CSC Parties’ efforts to achieve a possible amendment to eliminate the financial contribution obligation for States with no nuclear reactors.
The CSC, adopted under IAEA auspices in 1997, is the only international nuclear liability convention covering this number of nuclear power reactors globally, approximately 180. The CSC has 11 Parties, including Argentina, Benin, Canada, Ghana, India, Japan, Montenegro, Morocco, Romania, United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America, with 11 additional Signatories. The convention serves as an umbrella for countries that are parties to existing international nuclear liability conventions or have national legislation conforming to the basic nuclear liability principles specified in the CSC annex. The IAEA’s online CSC calculator enables countries to run scenarios for potential contributions to the CSC’s supplementary international fund.
The inaugural meeting of the CSC Parties and Signatories was held in Ottawa, Canada, in 2019, during which the IAEA agreed to act as the Secretariat for future meetings, convening them on a regular basis.
