NEA Mandates and Structures


Working Party on Boiling Water Reactors (WPBWR)

Chair(s): Lennart BONS, Sweden
Secretary:  Thomas BUCKENMEYER
(thomas.buckenmeyer@oecd-nea.org)
Vice-Chair(s): Eric THOMAS, 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
Participant(s): India
Observer(s)(International Organisation): International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
By agreement
Date of creation:04 June 2018
End of mandate:03 June 2021

Mandate (Document reference):

  • Summary Record of the 38th Meeting of the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities held on 4-5 December 2017 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2017)5]
  • Summary Record of the 39th Meeting of the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities held on 4-5 June 2018 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2018)3]
  • Mandate of the Working Party on boiling water reactors (WPBWR) [NEA/SEN/NRA(2018)6]
  • Participant Status of India in the CNRA and its subsidiary bodies: 2018 Update of the NEA Participation Plan [NEA/NE(2018)8] and official letter received from India on 15 October 2018 confirming its acceptance of Participant Status in the CNRA and its subsidiary bodies

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from document NEA/SEN/NRA(2018)6

Mandate: 

Background

The Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) has considered a request by a number of countries involved in the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor Working Group of the Multinational Design Evaluation Programme (MDEP ABWRWG) for the creation of a regulatory forum for boiling water reactors (BWRs) and advanced boiling water reactors (ABWRs).

In December 2017, the CNRA approved the establishment of an ad hoc group to serve as a regulatory forum for boiling water reactors. This group should perform a self-assessment after its first year to determine whether its activities may continue in the long-term with the support of the CNRA.

Scope

The WPBWR covers all boiling water reactors, including ABWRs and Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactors (ESBWRs).

The WPBWR is responsible for establishing:

  • an international forum to exchange information and experience specifically on regulation issues regarding BWRs, including those in design, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning;
  • a way to identify international safety challenges within BWRs to share national perspectives;
  • a range of appropriate opportunities for international collaboration on regulatory activities related to BWRs that will lead to improvements in the nuclear safety area.

In order to accomplish these objectives, the WPBWR shall:

  • constitute a forum for NEA member countries’ representatives and experts involved in the national regulation of BWRs;
  • facilitate a co-operative approach to identify key regulatory issues and promote common positions;
  • use the key regulatory issues and positions to formulate a potential collaborative work programme;
  • present the results, programme, conclusions and recommendations to the CNRA for approval and/or endorsement.

Working Methods

The WPBWR will:

  • review the work programmes considered by the MDEP ABWRWG to determine if any work would fall under the WPBWR’s scope;
  • interact with the organisations involved in the safety assessment of BWRs, as appropriate;
  • co-ordinate its work with other NEA bodies, MDEP and international organisations, such as the IAEA or the European Commission.

Proposed Outcomes and Outputs

The WPBWR will provide regulatory perspective of the challenges raised by BWRs, including responses to relevant nuclear site challenges. This will be done via discussions and the generation of reports and guidance. Particular attention will be paid to additional, or revised, regulatory approaches that may be needed to facilitate effective regulation of BWRs compared to other light-water reactors.

The outcomes will include:

  • a report on the regulatory framework and licensing approaches used or under consideration by those countries that have licensed, or may license, BWRs;
  • identification of areas in which new or different developments may be relevant for licensing, inspecting and evaluating the implementation of the safety cases for BWRs;
  • defining possible BWR challenges that might be resolved through collaborative work.