NEA Mandates and Structures


RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (RWMC)

Chair(s): Jean-Paul MINON, Belgium
Secretaries:  Yeonhee HAH
(yeonhee.hah@oecd-nea.org)
Rebecca TADESSE
(rebecca.tadesse@oecd-nea.org)
Vice-Chair(s): Walter BLOMMAERT, Belgium
Jussi HEINONEN, Finland
Patrick LANDAIS, France
Hiroyuki UMEKI, Japan
Evgeny KOMAROV, Russia
Bruce CAIRNS, United Kingdom
Scott MOORE, United States
Member(s):All NEA member countries*
Russia (Suspended*)
*Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council.
Full participant(s): European Commission
Under the NEA Statute
Observer(s)(International Organisation): International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
By agreement
Date of creation:23 June 1975
End of mandate:31 December 2022

Mandate (Document reference):

  • Record of the 50th meeting of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy on 9th October 1975 [NE/M(75)3]
  • Proposed Strategy and Programme of Work in the Field of Radioactive Waste Management [NE(81)14]
  • Revision of the Mandate of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) [NEA/NE(92)5], approved by the Steering Committee on Nuclear Energy on 6-7 October 1992
  • Review of the NEA Committee Structure [NEA/NE(2000)11/REV1]
  • Review of Mandates of the NEA Standing Technical Committees [NEA/NE(2005)2]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 117th Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2008)2]
  • Review of the NEA Standing Technical Committee Mandates [NEA/NE(2010)7]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 121st Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2010)2]
  • Review of the Mandates of NEA Bodies Reporting Directly to the Steering Committee [NEA/NE(2016)5]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 133rd Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2016)2] 
  • Update of the Mandate of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) Following the Creation of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management [NEA/NE(2017)14]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 136th Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2018)1] 

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from document NEA/NE(2017)14

Mandate:

The NEA conducts important international activities to support the development of a global strategy for considering aspects of sustainability concerning the use of nuclear power and nuclear materials. According to the NEA Strategic Plan for 2017-2022, the Agency’s general objective in the field of radioactive waste management and decommissioning is to assist member countries in the development of safe, sustainable and broadly acceptable strategies for the management of all types of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. In this context, the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) shall:

  • Develop a common understanding of the basic issues involved and promote the adoption of a holistic approach based on the concept of sustainable development. This method comprises the environment, wherein approaches to radioactive waste management should demonstrate safety through science and technology, processes and materials; economics, including the assurance of sufficient funding and the optimisation of costs; as well as society and ethical aspects, where social trust and confidence are built into radioactive waste management and have been embedded into a national legislative, regulatory and organisational framework.
  • Provide a forum for senior representatives from national agencies, regulatory authorities, policy-making bodies, research and development institutions with responsibilities in the management of radioactive waste, as well as other government-nominated specialists, for the exchange of information and experience on radioactive waste management policies and practices in NEA member countries, and for advancing the state of the art on technical, economic and societal aspects in this area.
  • Identify and analyse key issues in policy and strategy for optimisation of the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste generated during various activities including decommissioning. These shall include key issues that are relevant to legal, regulatory and organizational frameworks of radioactive waste management.
  • Contribute to the dissemination of information in this field through the organisation of specialist meetings as well as the publication of reports and consensus statements summarising the results of joint activities that are for the benefit of the international scientific community, competent authorities at national levels and other audiences interested in the subject.
  • Offer, upon request, a framework for the conduct of international peer reviews and international expert feedbacks of national activities in the field of radioactive waste management.
  • Promote cooperative efforts such as the setting up of joint international R&D projects or the development of databases, and to initiatives to retain relevant competencies and knowledge.

For developing its programme of work, and in its modus operandi, the RWMC will follow the holistic approach and rely on discipline-oriented working parties and expert groups in the areas of radioactive waste management and associated societal issues through activities such as the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC). RWMC members delegated from regulatory authorities will also meet in the Regulators’ Forum (RF) to provide regulatory expertise and support the RWMC work through the information exchange and activities on issues of regulating of radioactive waste management (e.g. including decommissioning activities in coordination with the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management).

In the fulfilment of its responsibilities, the RWMC will be supported by the staff of the NEA Division of Radioactive Waste Management and for activities associated with the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence and related areas by the staff of the NEA Division of Radiological Protection and Human Aspects of Nuclear Safety.

The Radioactive Waste Management Committee will co-operate with other NEA standing technical committees, in particular, the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management to ensure efficient collaboration, coordination and exchange of activity updates in the area of radioactive waste management and decommissioning. The coordination between these two committees with closely linked activities will be provided through the organising of joint sessions at the annual meetings and joint bureau meetings of the both committees and other approaches. The RWMC will also interact as appropriate with other NEA programs, international scientific bodies, industry and stakeholder organisations and other international agencies.