NEA and China's National Energy Administration sign MOU to strengthen co‑operation
On 28 April 2017, the NEA and the National Energy Administration of China (C/NEA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the Field of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, enhancing co‑operation between both parties. An official ceremony was held in Beijing, China, at which C/NEA Deputy Administrator Li Fanrong signed the MoU on behalf of the C/NEA and NEA Director‑General William D. Magwood, IV, signed on behalf of the NEA. The agreement foresees co‑operation in a number of fields, including nuclear energy development, nuclear safety research and radiological protection. The memorandum of understanding between the NEA and the C/NEA represents further progress in the growing collaboration between China and the Agency, and complements the memorandum of understanding signed by the NEA and the National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA) of China in 2014 and the Joint Declaration on Co‑operation signed by the NEA and the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) in 2013.
Advancing to address Fukushima Daiichi remediation
On 23 April 2017, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) held the opening ceremony of the new Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS) research centre in Tomioka, Fukushima. NEA Director-General Mr William D. Magwood, IV delivered remarks at the ceremony, alongside Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) State Minister Toshiei Mizuochi, Fukushima Governor Masao Uchibori, Minister for Reconstruction and Minister in charge of Comprehensive Policy Coordination for Revival from the Nuclear Accident at Fukushima Masayoshi Yoshino, and other high-level participants. During his speech, Mr Magwood underlined the importance of JAEA/CLADS as both an international research hub and a symbol of the shared international interest in safely decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi site. The CLADS was established in 2015 to advance research needed to decommission the Fukushima Daiichi site. The NEA has a number of current and proposed joint projects working with the JAEA/CLADS in the areas of accident analysis, fuel debris characterisation and radioactive waste management.
NEA expert receives award for international co‑operation from Korea
Dr Henri Paillère, NEA's Senior Nuclear Analyst and Acting Head of the Division of Nuclear Development, has been honoured with the Award for Person of Merit for International Co-operation in Nuclear Industry by the Korean Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. The honour was awarded in recognition of Dr Paillère's dedication and service for the promotion of co-operation between Korea and the NEA, including through his work in support of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) and the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation (IFNEC). "We are very pleased to see Dr Paillère's accomplishments being acknowledged," NEA Director-General Mr Magwood said. "We are very fortunate to have outstanding people like Henri at the Agency."
China Atomic Energy Authority visits the NEA to discuss co-operation
On 14 April 2017, Mr WANG Yiren, China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) Vice Chairman, and representatives from the CAEA met with NEA Director‑General Mr William D. Magwood, IV, and senior staff to provide the NEA with an overview of the Chinese nuclear power programme. They also discussed co‑operation in a number of areas, including stakeholder involvement in nuclear decision making, which is acknowledged by the NEA community as an important issue and is a growing concern in China. Discussions underlined that both China and the NEA Membership share the objective of the safe, environmentally sound and efficient use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Accordingly, the NEA and CAEA intend to extend the technical exchanges within the framework of the existing Joint Declaration on Co‑operation in the Field of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, which was signed in 2013. This very constructive visit exemplified the valuable exchanges of information and ideas from which both China and the NEA can benefit.
Nuclear power plant operating experience databases
On 24-26 April 2017, the NEA Working Group on Operating Experience (WGOE) held an international workshop in Madrid, Spain, on best practices with regulatory operating experience databases. Organised in collaboration with the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council (Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear - CSN), the workshop attracted 43 participants from 25 countries, representing regulatory bodies, licensees, international organisations and technical support organisations. It provided an opportunity for the participating experts to share insights on their regulatory and operating experiences, trend analysis capabilities, policies and best practices across member states. Participants discussed techniques and methods for the collection, assimilation, review and analysis of incidents in order to improve event response and inspections procedures, and to enhance assessment capabilities for preventive or corrective actions. The workshop led to a number of recommendations and commendable practices to help participants improve national regulatory operating experience processes, databases and assessment methodologies to further enhance nuclear power plant safety.
Public communication of nuclear regulatory organisations
On 5-6 April 2017, the NEA Working Group on Public Communication of Nuclear Regulatory Organisations (WGPC) held its annual meeting and discussed its future activities, as well as potential collaborations with other NEA working parties and expert groups. The WGPC had actively participated in the NEA Workshop on Stakeholder Involvement in Nuclear Decision Making, which was organised in January 2017, particularly in the session on media and stakeholder involvement. Consequently, participants at the April meeting exchanged views on their experiences and discussed how they could further contribute to NEA work in the area of stakeholder involvement, as public communication is an essential part of stakeholder support and involvement in nuclear decision making.
The safety culture of a nuclear regulatory body
On 25-27 April 2017, the NEA Safety Culture Ad hoc Group held its third meeting with representatives from nine member countries. Participating experts exchanged information and experiences on various methods of developing and maintaining a healthy safety culture within nuclear regulatory bodies.
Future nuclear systems and energy market needs
On 12 April 2017, the NEA held an international workshop on "Advanced Reactor Systems and Future Energy Market Needs". The workshop was attended by more than 120 experts, including government, industry and intergovernmental organisation representatives. During his opening remarks, the NEA Director-General William D. Magwood, IV highlighted the challenges facing nuclear power amidst rapidly evolving energy market conditions. The workshop addressed energy system decarbonisation, future electricity market needs, regulatory aspects including safety requirements and environmental constraints, and reactor designs under development. There were also discussions on integration of renewable energies and nuclear power into future electricity systems. Participating experts underlined the need for innovation in order to drive reactor designs towards enhanced competitiveness, flexibility and non-power nuclear applications. Workshop presentations are available online at oe.cd/1UQ.
GIF discusses reactor safety design criteria
On 13-14 April 2017, the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) held its semi-annual Policy Group (PG) meeting in Paris, France, hosted by the NEA. Participants at this meeting included representatives from twelve GIF member countries, including the ten signatories of the GIF Framework Agreement and Australia, which joined the GIF in June 2016 and is currently in the process of acceding to the GIF Framework Agreement. The United Kingdom, one of the first countries to join GIF but currently a non-active member, was also represented at the meeting as an observer, and was encouraged by the PG to consider acceding to the GIF Framework Agreement. The PG also reviewed the progress in the development of safety design criteria and guidelines for the sodium-cooled fast reactor and their extension to other Generation IV systems. Deployment challenges for Generation IV systems in future energy markets were also examined, building on the discussions at the NEA workshop on "Advanced Reactor Systems and Future Energy Market Needs", which took place the previous day.
Decommissioning policy, strategy and regulation
On 3-4 April 2017, the NEA Radioactive Waste Repository Metadata Management (RepMet) initiative held a meeting to continue investigating the use of metadata in data and information management to support national programmes for radioactive waste repositories. The group is currently developing three data libraries on i) packaged waste and spent nuclear fuel ready for final disposal at the repository, ii) repository site characterisation measurement, and iii) repository requirements and structures at the closure. At this meeting, participating members finalised decisions on the structures of these libraries and the conceptual data models. The libraries are planned to be released and published as final deliverables of the initiative by the end of 2017.
International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments
The 2017 edition of the International Handbook of Evaluated Reactor Physics Benchmark Experiments contains reactor physics benchmark specifications that have been derived from experiments performed at nuclear facilities around the world. The benchmark specifications are intended for use by reactor designers, safety analysts and nuclear data evaluators to validate calculation techniques and data. The handbook contains data from 151 experimental series that were performed at 50 reactor facilities. To be published as approved benchmarks, the experiments must be evaluated against agreed technical criteria and reviewed by the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation (IRPhE) Project Technical Review Group. A total of 146 of the 151 evaluations are published as approved benchmarks. The remaining five evaluations are published as draft documents only. Requests to obtain the DVD or online access should be made by completing the online Handbook Request Form at oe.cd/IRPhE
| 21-APR-17 | NEA-1683 | ERANOS 2.3, Modular code and data system for fast reactor neutronics analyses (Arrived) |
| 13-APR-17 | NEA-1890 | FISPACT-II, Inventory Simulation Platform for Nuclear Observables and Materials Science (Arrived) |
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