Service 06
Structured, Sequenced Program Development
The IAEA Milestones Approach is the internationally recognized sequencing standard for new-entrant nuclear states, built around 19 infrastructure issues spanning legal, regulatory, financial, and technical readiness.
What Is the Milestones Approach?
A three-phase framework recognized by the IAEA as the standard for new-entrant states.
The Milestones Approach structures nuclear program development into three sequential phases, each ending with a milestone — a point at which the IAEA, through an Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission, assesses whether the state has developed the necessary infrastructure across 19 issue areas to advance to the next phase.
The framework is not a suggestion — it reflects the international consensus that nuclear programs developed out of sequence, or without adequate institutional foundations, consistently encounter delays, cost overruns, and credibility deficits. Total lead time from policy decision to first power is realistically 10–15 years. No jurisdiction has credibly compressed this timeline, and Vertex Atomic will not advise clients to skip sequencing steps to accelerate schedules.
Phase-by-Phase Support
How Vertex Atomic supports each phase.
| Phase | Focus | Indicative Duration | Vertex Atomic Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Feasibility study, policy commitment, INIR Phase 1 readiness | 1–3 years | Feasibility advisory, institutional gap analysis, national position development |
| Phase 2 | Site licensing prep, bid process design, regulatory build-out, financing structure | 3–5 years | Licensing support, regulatory framework development, project management setup |
| Phase 3 | Construction, commissioning, first criticality | 5–8 years | Construction oversight, program governance, stakeholder coordination |
Note: Total lead time from policy decision to first power is realistically 10–15 years. No jurisdiction has credibly compressed this timeline.
IAEA Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review
INIR missions are the standard external benchmark.
An INIR mission is the IAEA's structured assessment of a state's readiness to advance to the next Milestones phase. The process begins with a national self-assessment across the 19 infrastructure issues, followed by an IAEA expert review that validates, challenges, and benchmarks the self-assessment against international experience.
Vertex Atomic helps clients prepare rigorous, honest self-assessments — not to pass the INIR, but to identify real gaps and build the institutional capacity the INIR is designed to measure. A well-prepared self-assessment is itself a capacity-building exercise: it forces the program to confront its own readiness across every infrastructure dimension simultaneously.
Infrastructure Issues
19 IAEA-defined areas assessed
Total Timeline
10–15 years, policy to first power
Our Commitment
No sequencing shortcuts, ever
Next Step
Request a Milestones readiness review.
Understand where your program stands within the three-phase framework and what gaps need to be addressed.
