On 2–6 November 2025, the Second International Conference on Nuclear Power Engineering (SCOPE-2) was held in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. A delegation of experts from the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) took an active part in the conference, which is the result of cooperation established with the prestigious King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM).

KFUPM is a university that ranks among the top international universities in the field of technical sciences (67th place according to QS World University Rankings 2026). The long-standing friendly relations between the National Centre for Nuclear Research and KFUPM were emphasised by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during the university rector's visit to Poland in September 2024. During the opening ceremony of the SCOPE-2 conference, it was formally presented to Prof. Mariusz Dąbrowski, head of the Division of Nuclear Energy and Environmental Studies at NCBJ. Particularly involved in the cooperation with KFUPM is Dr Tomasz Kwiatkowski from the Division of Nuclear Energy and Environmental Studies, who defended his doctoral thesis on a topic jointly supervised with Dr Afaq Shams from KFUPM and will soon begin a postdoctoral internship at the university.

During the conference, our employees actively represented NCBJ, making a significant contribution to the proceedings. The delegation's greatest success was winning the Best Research Contribution Award by the team of Dr. Michał Spirzewski and Dr. Jakub Sierchuła for their presentation entitled “Final Design and Safety Analysis of the 30 MWth HTGR-POLA Reactor.” It complemented the keynote lecture given by Prof. Mariusz Dąbrowski, which concerned the key NCBJ project entitled “Polish Advanced Modular Reactor HTGR-POLA: basic applications on land, and possible extensions at sea and in space.” The topic of high-temperature reactors was also discussed by Dr. Błażej Chmielarz in his paper entitled “Technoeconomic analysis of High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactors for industrial steam production based on Levelized Cost Assessment and multi-agent trading simulations.”

The HTGR-POLA project attracted considerable interest among conference participants. Its high degree of advancement (completion of the basic design) on a global scale was appreciated. The solutions used in HTGR-POLA were compared, among others, to the recent concept of the Saudi-Swiss SAMA (Saudi-Swiss Advanced Modular Reactor Alliance) reactor project, in which the core is cooled by means of double-ended heat pipes filled with convection-prone sodium, rather than directly by gas flowing through the core. Preliminary interest was also expressed in obtaining technical support from NCBJ experts in the further stages of the project.

Another success for the NCBJ delegation was the Best Reviewer Award, which went to Dr. Tomasz Kwiatkowski, who also served as a member of the Technical Program Committee. Important presentations were also given by Dr. Agnieszka Boettcher - “PWR fuel assembly burnup with and without thorium addition” and Dr. Piotr Kopka - “Probabilistic Model Chain Methodology for Radiological Risk Assessment in SMR Reactors: A Site-Specific Approach for Enhanced Nuclear Safety and Emergency Planning.”

The NCBJ delegation was not the only group of Polish scientists present at the SCOPE-2 conference. The event was also attended by representatives of the University of Warsaw: from the Faculty of Chemistry – Dean Prof. Sławomir Sęk, PhD, and from the Faculty of Physics – Vice-Dean Krzysztof Turzyński, PhD, and Agnieszka Korgul, PhD, Prof. UW, who is also the president of the Polish Nuclear Society. Both faculties are also keenly interested in cooperation with KFUPM.

The SCOPE-2 conference brought together scientists from over 100 research units from 50 countries. During technical sessions, discussion panels, and workshops, over 200 presentations were given. The sessions allowed nuclear engineering specialists to discuss global innovations, including new-generation nuclear reactors, which will be the future of clean energy.

More information about the conference can be found at: 

 https://events.kfupm.edu.sa/event/250/

A recap of the closing ceremony of the conference is available at:

 https://www.youtube.com/live/jWFCEZ_labs?si=0lXKyeHfIPwphPVi