NEA Mandates and Structures


Working Group on Electrical Power Systems (WGELEC)

Chair(s): Kevin PEPPER, United Kingdom
Secretary:  Ju Yeop PARK
(juyeop.park@oecd-nea.org)
Vice-Chair(s): Pascal REGNIER, France
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:03 December 2015
End of mandate:31 December 2020

Mandate (Document reference):

  • Creation of the Working Group on Electrical Power Systems (WGELEC) [NEA/SEN/SIN(2016)1]
  • Summary Record of the 61st Meeting of the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) [NEA/SEN/SIN(2017)2]
  • CSNI Operating Plan and Guidelines (2017-2022) [NEA/CSNI/R(2017)17]
  • Participant Status of India in the CSNI and its subsidiary bodies: 2018 Update of the NEA Participation Plan [NEA/NE(2018)8], Summary of Decisions taken at the 137th Session of the Steering Committee [NEA/SUM/DEC(2018)2] and official letter received from India on 31 October 2019 confirming its acceptance of Participant Status in the CSNI and its subsidiary bodies

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract of document NEA/CSNI/R(2017)17

Mandate

The main mission of the Working Group on the Safety of Electrical Systems (WGELEC) is to advance the current understanding and address safety issues related to electrical systems of nuclear installations. The activity of the Working Group shall aim at enhancing the safety performance of nuclear installations and improving the effectiveness of regulatory practices in NEA member countries.

The Working Group shall report to the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) and assist that Committee with its work. The Working Group will also collaborate with, and respond to requests from, the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) and other working groups of the CSNI. In delivering its mission, WGELEC will seek to address the challenges identified in the NEA Strategic Plan 2017-2022 [NEA/NE(2016)3/FINAL] and to implement the CSNI Operating Plan and Guidelines.

The WGELEC will meet on an annual basis to review progress of its programme of work and identify activities that should be added to the programme of work, subject to CSNI approval.  The Working Group will be led by a chair, supported by a bureau of up to four of the leading members of the Working Group. Specifically, the WGELEC shall:

  1. Constitute a forum for exchange of information and experience on the safety of electrical systems in member countries, thereby promoting co-operation and maintaining an effective and efficient network of experts.
  2. Identify and prioritise issues related to the safety of electrical systems, which highlight a gap in international knowledge requiring research.
  3. Identify those issues that appear most suitable to be addressed by the WGELEC in a co-ordinated way across the international community.
  4. Facilitate international convergence on safety issues related to the safety of electrical systems and, where practicable, seek to develop a shared understanding and recommended solutions on important issues.
  5. Compare and, where possible, benchmark practices and methodologies currently applied by CSNI member countries in the safety assessment of electrical systems.
  6. Allow prompt attention to evolving electrical plant events in order to share the lessons as they are learnt.
  7. Collaborate with and support cross-cutting initiatives proposed by other NEA bodies. Ensure that the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) and other NEA bodies, international organisations and stakeholders are consulted as appropriate when potential cross-cutting work on the safety of electrical systems is proposed by the WGELEC.
  8. Facilitate specialist meetings, workshops and other means of fostering international collaboration with nuclear and other industries, where appropriate, to further its objectives.

The scope of the Working Group is all equipment located within a nuclear installation and provided for the purpose of generating, transmitting and distributing the electricity necessary for the achievement of safety functions (i.e. the plant power system). This scope includes batteries, emergency power systems, generators, cables, switchboards, transformers, breakers, protective relaying, etc. It also encompasses Instrumentation and Control (I&C) equipment specifically needed to manage this electricity supply function. Additionally, the loads supplied (motors, drives, sensors, relays, computers, etc.) are also within the scope of the Working Group but only regarding their electrical characteristics.

The WGELEC will consider safety aspects ranging from issues specific to a given type of equipment up to considerations regarding the overall behaviour of a nuclear installation’s electrical power system.

The WGELEC activities will mainly focus on issues affecting existing reactors and fuel cycle installations, but will also consider their applicability for new installations, in particular advanced reactor designs.