Director-General Magwood's visit highlights NEA commitment to support Poland
NEA Director‑General William D. Magwood, IV, undertook his first official visit to Poland on 28‑29 May 2018 for meetings with the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Investment and Economic Development and the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ). Central to his visit were meetings with Krzysztof Tchórzewski, Minister of Energy, Jadwiga Emilewicz, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Technology and Jerzy Kwieciński, Minister of Investment and Economic Development. Mr Magwood also met with senior staff of Poland's nuclear safety regulator, the National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA), and engaged in a wide-ranging discussion on many nuclear safety topics. Read more
Nuclear Innovation: Clean Energy Future (NICE Future)
Canada, Japan and the United States launched the Nuclear Innovation: Clean Energy Future (NICE Future) initiative at a side event at the ninth Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) on 24 May 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The NICE Future initiative aims to highlight the role of nuclear energy as a low‑carbon electricity source within the innovative, integrated and advanced energy systems of the future. It has already been joined by Argentina, Poland, Romania, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. At the launch event opening remarks were provided by the United States Department of Energy Deputy Secretary Dan Brouillette, Canadian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources Kim Rudd, Japanese Parliamentary Vice‑Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Masaki Ogushi, and Poland's Secretary of State in the Ministry of Energy Michał Kurtyka. Mr Magwood, who also spoke at the event, noted that nuclear energy is one of the options in the global toolbox to stabilise the future global energy framework, and to address climate change.
NEA participates in ATOMEXPO 2018
The NEA participated in the ATOMEXPO 2018 International Forum, which brought together key figures in the global nuclear energy industry in Sochi, Russia, on 14‑16 May 2018. NEA Director‑General Magwood spoke at the opening day plenary session "Global Partnership – Joint Success". In his speech he underlined the importance of international co‑operation in supporting the evolution of nuclear technologies to meet the long‑term energy needs and environmental goals. On the second day of the Forum, he participated in a roundtable discussion on "International Scientific Cooperation and Advanced Research Infrastructure – the Foundation for the Innovative Development of Nuclear Energy". The NEA was also represented at the Forum by Dr Gloria Kwong, Acting Head of the NEA Division of Radioactive Waste Management, in a roundtable discussion on "Foundation for the Future Development of Nuclear Energy: Economic Efficiency, Safe Radwaste Management and the Decommissioning of Nuclear and Radiation Hazardous Facilities". While in Russia, the NEA delegation visited a number of facilities, including the nuclear‑powered icebreaker Arktika, floating nuclear power station Akademik Lomonosov, the Atomflot base and the A. I. Leypunsky Institute for Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE).
NEA Director-General visits the United States
NEA Director‑General Magwood and staff visited the United States in May for a series of meetings and site visits. Central to the visit was a technical tour of the Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, where the NEA delegation reviewed the progress and activities regarding the construction of Units 3 and 4, which are Generation III+ AP1000 reactors. The delegation also made a comprehensive visit to one of the premier research institutions of the United States, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), including the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF). Mr Magwood gave a technical talk to ORNL staff on 1 May. He also gave a lecture to nuclear engineering students and faculty at North Carolina State University on 4 May about the importance of addressing the gaps in nuclear skills capacity, knowledge transfer and technical innovation in an international context. Mr Magwood also visited the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Region II office in Atlanta, where he toured the NRC's upgraded facilities and met with the entire staff to discuss current nuclear safety-related issues.
NEA Annual Report 2017
In 2017 the NEA welcomed the accessions of Argentina and Romania to the NEA and its Data Bank, took substantial steps towards enhancing its relationship with China and India, and signed MOUs with industry organisations EPRI and WANO. The NEA organised many events, conferences and workshops corresponding to the needs of member countries in the application and exploration of nuclear science and technology, including the Workshop on Stakeholder Involvement in Nuclear Decision Making. Watch the year‑in‑review video to see highlights and key moments from 2017.
The NEA 2017 annual report is available for download in English at oe.cd/nea-2017-en and in French at oe.cd/nea-2017-fr.
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Public communication of nuclear regulatory organisations
The NEA Working Group on Public Communication of Nuclear Regulatory Organisations (WGPC) held a highly interactive annual meeting on 2‑4 May 2018 in Bern, Switzerland. A key highlight of the meeting was the country‑specific case study workshop hosted by the Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate (ENSI). The workshop focused on communication and public interest in the context of a local dryout at the Leibstadt Nuclear Power Plant. In addition to the members of the WGPC, the workshop was also attended by special invitees representing the operator, the local NGO Swiss Energy Foundation, the Office for Environmental Protection of the Waldshut District Office of Germany and the media. Discussions addressed the need for clear, plain and timely communication; opportunities for regulatory bodies to leverage public attention; and the importance of correcting misinformation in early stages. In order to foster collaboration among members in mutual areas of interest and common challenges, the meeting also featured presentations by the NEA Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) and the NEA Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC). It was followed by a visit to the Mühleberg Nuclear Power Plant, which will stop operating in 2019 and transition directly to decommissioning and dismantling.
Multinational Design Evaluation Programme (MDEP) elects new Chair
The Multinational Design Evaluation Programme (MDEP) elected its new Chair, Mr Mark Foy of the United Kingdom's Office for Nuclear Regulation, at its Policy Group meeting held on 22 May 2018 in Vienna. Mr Foy will succeed Mr Petteri Tiippana, Director‑General of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland (STUK). Mr Tiippana served as the MDEP Policy Group Chair from 2015 to 2018. During his term, Mr Tiippana focused MDEP's attention on design‑specific activities and successfully led the transfer of some issue‑specific activities to the NEA Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA). Under his chairmanship, MDEP welcomed Argentina and Hungary as new members and established a new working group focusing on safety design reviews of Hualong water reactor technology HPR1000 design.
Workshop on the construction of new VVERs
The MDEP VVER Working Group (VVERWG) organised a workshop on the "Construction of New VVERs in VVERWG Member Countries" on 25 May 2018 in Moscow, Russia. The objective of the workshop was to review and discuss multinational experience on the construction of new VVERs and technical issues of the safety assessment and oversight at the construction stage, as well as the current activities and future plans of the VVERWG. The workshop also aimed to enhance the interface between national regulators, design and vendor organisations in order to support effective national licensing processes. It was attended by 40 representatives from regulatory bodies, their technical support organisations, research organisations, operating organisations, design and vendor organisations from VVERWG member countries. During a roundtable discussion, participants exchanged information and lessons learnt on the experimental justification and testing of passive heat removal systems, licensing process and design reviews, and the construction of new VVER designs. Similar events on a regular, biennial basis are planned.
International co-operation in decommissioning
The NEA Co‑operative Programme for the Exchange of Scientific and Technical Information Concerning Nuclear Installation Decommissioning Projects (CPD) held its Technical Advisory Group (TAG) meeting on 14‑18 May 2018 in Spain, hosted by the Spanish national radioactive waste management organisation ENRESA. Participating members presented the status and ongoing activities of their decommissioning projects and exchanged experiences. During a topical session on the use of intervention suits when working with asbestos, they shared knowledge on hazardous materials encountered in decommissioning. The meeting also included site visits to Vandèllos Nuclear Power Plant and the José Cabrera Nuclear Power Station.
Since 2007, the NEA Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC) has been organising a series of symposia on the development of a competent and robust safety case for the deep geological disposal of radioactive waste. The 2018 IGSC Symposium on the "Current Understanding and Future Direction for the Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste" will take place on 10‑11 October in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, hosted by COVRA. The purpose of the event is to discuss and document the achievements made since the previous symposium in 2013, to share good practices and to consider future direction. The event, in co‑operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Commission (EC), also seeks to facilitate mutual learning through exchanges of perspectives on and experiences in safety case development of geological repositories. For more information and registration, visit oe.cd/IGSC-2018.
Liability and compensation for nuclear damage
The NEA has updated its Table on Nuclear Operators' Third Party Liability Amounts and Financial Security Limits. The table attempts to provide information on the applicable nuclear liability amounts and related financial security obligations imposed on nuclear operators in a wide range of countries, including non OECD or non NEA countries, in case of a nuclear incident in a nuclear installation. The table, which is not official but rather for information purposes, can be downloaded at oe.cd/2hZ.
Priority rules on compensation for nuclear damage in national legislations
The NEA has also updated its Table on Priority Rules on Compensation for Nuclear Damage in National Legislations. This table outlines whether or not there are priority rules in the national legislations of 27 NEA member countries, and summarises the principles of the adopted priority rules. The table, which is not official but rather for information purposes, can be downloaded at oe.cd/2b6.
Uncertainty analysis in modelling for nuclear reactor safety
The NEA Expert Groups on Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling (EGUAM) and Multi-physics Experimental Data, Benchmarks and Validation (EGMPEBV) held a series of joint workshops on 14‑18 May 2018 in Lucca, Italy, hosted by NINE Nuclear and Industrial Engineering. Workshops were held on the Light Water Reactor Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling (UAM‑LWR) benchmark, the Sodium‑Cooled Fast Reactor Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling (SFR‑UAM) and the Deterministic Time‑Dependent Neutron Transport Benchmark (C5G7‑TD). Three new benchmarks also had their kick‑off meetings: the Multi‑physics Pellet Clad Mechanical Interaction Validation Benchmark (MPCMIV), the Blind Benchmark on CANDU Thermal‑hydraulics and the VVER‑1000 benchmark (ROSTOV‑2). These benchmarks are helping to address the chain of uncertainty propagation from basic data, measurement and engineering uncertainties, both across different scales (multi‑scale) and physics phenomena (multi‑physics). Over 100 participants from the international reactor modelling community participated in these workshops. The growing number of participants in NEA uncertainty analysis activities highlights the increasing importance of uncertainty analysis in modelling to reactor scientists and the industry. The next workshop series is proposed to be hosted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States, on 13‑17 May 2019. For additional information and to register, please contact the NEA Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) at wprs@oecd-nea.org.
Multi-scale modelling of fuels and structural materials
The NEA Multi-scale Modelling of Fuels and Structural Materials for Nuclear Systems (WPMM) held its annual meeting on 16‑17 May 2018, in tandem with a workshop organised on 15 May to explore the possibility of creating a new WPMM task force on best practices for multi‑scale modelling methods. The objective of this new task force would be to define a set of standard practices and methods for commonly applied modelling problems that is appropriate for adoption as standard engineering practices. Participating members expressed a strong interest in this task force and agreed that its scope should focus on a specific system (or a class of systems) and modelling approach. Another highlight of the meeting was a proposal for the establishment of a second new activity on best practices, protocols and standards in the field of nuclear materials characterisation techniques. This activity would aim to provide an international forum for the discussion and definition of best practice protocols for the collection and analysis of experimental data obtained with different microstructural examination techniques. As a first step in this direction, a preparatory workshop will be organised to assess the interest of the scientific community in this topic. These new initiatives on modelling and experimental activities would be complementary in promoting the mutual exchange of information on practices and techniques between modellers and experimentalists, thereby facilitating efficient collaboration and reciprocal support.
| 28-MAY-18 | PSR-0617 | F-SCORE, F-Score Nuclide ID Scoring Applications (Arrived) |
| 28-MAY-18 | PSR-0610 | GADRAS-DRF-18.7.6, Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software-Detector Response Function (Arrived) |
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