Nuclear Energy Agency Online Bulletin
July 2000
Nuclear Development Information
The International
Workshop on "Plant Life Management in a Changing Business World" was
held in Washington, DC, on 26-27 June. The meeting, hosted by the USDOE, was
attended by some 50 participants from 12 Member countries, the International
Energy Agency (IEA) and the European Commission (EC). After an opening plenary
session, three working groups discussed issues related to technology, regulation
and business. Their main findings were presented and discussed at the final
round table.
- Key issues raised by the technology working group included: reliability-centred maintenance versus time-based maintenance; power up-rating and higher fuel burnup aiming at enhanced competitiveness; and the need to maintain adequate skills and knowledge.
- The regulation working group highlighted the need for international standards and improved co-operation between safety and economic regulators.
- In the business working group, concerns were raised on consistency and harmonisation of regulation in competitive markets, external costs of nuclear energy versus alternative sources, public acceptance and assessment of financial assets.
The proceedings
of the meeting, including a summary of discussions and findings, will be published
by the NEA in the fall.