AN IDEALIZED APPROACH TO SUPPORTING IAEA COMPLEMENTARY
ACCESSES - THE CANADIAN EXPERIENCE

Canada has a long-standing political commitment to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. 2022 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the implementation of Canada’s comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA. In the year 2000, Canada brought into force an Additional Protocol to complement its safeguards agreement. In 2005, Canada achieved the broader conclusion from the IAEA that all nuclear material remains in peaceful activities. Given Canada’s large and complex fuel cycle and long nuclear history, Canada receives the third most IAEA inspection effort in the world. Since 2001, the IAEA has performed 190 Complementary Accesses (CAs) – an average of 8.5 per year. The operators’ preparation and support for CAs can depend on their regulatory obligation to the CNSC and their familiarity with safeguards. This paper describes how Canada typically prepares for, supports, and manages complementary access from the IAEA. Select cases from previous CAs will also be provided as examples to illustrate both routine and unique scenarios that can arise when carrying out CAs under an Additional Protocol.