Morocco opted, very early on, for the development of peaceful uses of nuclear techniques in various socio-economic sectors while complying with the requirements of nuclear safety and security norms and standards. This approach has enabled our country to develop specialized human skills and cutting-edge scientific and technical platforms in this field.
The use of peaceful nuclear applications at the national level continues to increase dramatically in various economic and social sectors. The use of these applications for medical, industrial, agricultural, research, hydrological, mining and even in the field of safety monitoring has proved to be very beneficial in view of the possibilities it offers to these socio-economic sectors.
- In the field of public health, nuclear applications are used in nuclear radiological diagnostics, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy;
- In the industrial field, nuclear applications are used in gamma imaging, measurement and radiological detection devices;
- In agriculture, nuclear and isotopic techniques are used to contribute to sustainable management of natural resources, assessment of erosion and efficiency of soil conservation practices, efficient use of water irrigation and fertilizer as well as food security;
- In the field of security surveillance during customs controls, as well as baggage control.
- In the field of education and scientific research, in particular in scientific research activities which use X-rays, diffraction, spectrometry, the X-ray generator and numerous low-activity radioactive sources.
- In the field of water through research and study programs linked to water resources. These radioisotope hydrology techniques provide information on the age of the water (renewable or fossil), the filling mechanisms and the circulation of water tables, the origin of the salinity of the water tables, the efficiency of filling. artificial groundwater, the quality of the water and the origin of the sources of pollution. It should be noted that during the last 20 years, the main national aquifers have been characterized by isotopic methods.
- Nuclear research reactor: The first nuclear installation in Morocco was built with a 2 megawatt nuclear research reactor and associated laboratories, produced by the National Center for Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology (CNESTEN) based at the Maamoura Nuclear Studies Center.
Beyond these uses, and in its capacity as national coordinator of technical cooperation programs with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Ministry works to benefit from the experience of this Agency to encourage the use of new applications. nuclear in our country. In this context, Morocco has drawn up a National Framework Program, for the period 2018-2023 (5 years), in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear applications, in accordance with national priorities based on sectoral strategies for the period of 2030.
Thus, the MTEDD is currently ensuring the integration of new nuclear technologies through the technical cooperation projects with the IAEA currently being implemented and which concern in particular:
- Upgrade of the Maàmoura nuclear reactor so that it can be used in more socio-economic sectors;
- Support for the work of the Reflection Committee on Nuclear Power and Seawater Desalination (CRED);
- The use of the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) for the control of fruit insects;
- Assessment of seawater intrusion into arid coastal aquifers using isotopic and nuclear techniques,
- Capacity building of the regulatory authority in the field of radiological safety and environmental monitoring.
