NEA Monthly News Bulletin

The monthly news bulletin of the NEA

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November 2021

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New at the NEA

Solar panels with wind turbines in the foreground leading back to a atomic energy plant against a clear blue sky

The Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy focuses on the role of nuclear energy in supporting the decarbonisation of world's energy supply

Significant changes are underway in key factors that guide the foci and work of the NEA, including important changes in nuclear technology, international policy frameworks and environmental requirements. It is essential that the Agency adapt to meet the new challenges faced by its member countries in the exploration and application of nuclear science and technology. It is in this context that a new, forward-looking NEA five-year Strategic Plan was adopted by the NEA Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy at the Steering Committee's 142nd biannual meeting in October 2021.

The NEA Strategic Plan serves as a guiding instrument outlining the NEA mission and vision, operating framework, general strategy and strategic goals based on the priorities of the Agency’s member countries. This fifth Strategic Plan, adopted for the period 2023-2028, emphasises interactions with external organisations and groups, including academia, civil society, non-member countries and the nuclear industry. It also prioritises the role of nuclear energy in future, decarbonised energy frameworks, small modular reactors (SMRs) and Generation IV systems, stakeholder involvement and economics of nuclear as key topics of interest.

In the context of the COP 26 United Nations Climate Change Conference, the Steering Committee also held a Strategic Briefing on the role of the nuclear power in supporting climate mitigation, especially as part of future hybrid energy systems. Speakers included the Right Honourable Greg Hands MP, Minister of State, Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), United Kingdom who was joined by BEIS officials Mr Christopher Bowbrick, Deputy Director Nuclear Generation Policy, Sector Deal and International and Ms Georgia Pawson, who leads the UK Nuclear Young Generation efforts in support of COP; Ms Mollie Johnson, Assistant Deputy Minister, Low Carbon Energy Sector, Natural Resources Canada; Mr François Jacq, Chairman, French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), France; Mr Adam Guibourgé-Czetwertyński, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Poland; and Mr Alparslan Bayraktar, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey.

Participants in the debate highlighted the role of nuclear as a reliable source of low-carbon electricity and high heat in future clean energy systems and the importance of nuclear in their future energy plans. Among the observations made in the course of this discussion: long-term operation of existing nuclear power plants is the least-cost option for low-carbon electricity generation in the near future; nuclear energy enables more extensive, more rapid and more cost-effective deployment of variable renewables by providing flexibility; and SMRs and other advanced technologies present game-changing opportunities for the use of nuclear energy. Read more

The NEA is currently at COP26 for dialogues on the role that nuclear energy could play in achieving the decarbonisation objectives set by the Paris Agreement. The Agency will share insights and the latest data across a range of topics, including nuclear innovation, nuclear financing and the costs of energy provision on the path towards a net-zero future. The NEA will also host an event at the OECD COP26 Virtual Pavilion on 9 November 2021 on the availability of climate and development finance to support nuclear innovation with the objective to meet decarbonisation goals. Read more

The NEA Regulators' Forum (RF) expert roundtable, 8 October 2021

The NEA Regulators' Forum (RF) celebrates 20 years of international service

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the NEA Regulators' Forum (RF), the NEA hosted an expert roundtable discussion on 8 October 2021 to reflect on twenty years of RF work and trace the evolution of the roles and responsibilities of nuclear safety regulators regarding the management of radioactive waste and decommissioning. Read more and watch the discussion

Upcoming events

Mobilising climate and development finance to meet the Paris Agreement: Perspectives on nuclear energy, 9 November 2021

TDB Project course – 5th edition: Thermodynamic data collection and assessment

New publications

Climate Change: Assessment of the Vulnerability of Nuclear Power Plants and Approaches for their Adaptation

Read the publication

Climate Change Targets:
The Role of Nuclear Energy

Read the brochure

Small Modular Reactors

Read the brochure

System Costs of Electricity

Read the brochure

FSC - Intergenerational connections in radioactive waste management: Involving children and youth

Read the flyer

Education and capacity building

Mentoring workshop with Women in Nuclear (WiN) Spain, 5 October 2021

NEA: Working towards gender balance in the nuclear sector

The NEA is working with its member countries to promote gender balance and the development of female leaders in the nuclear energy sector so as to ensure a robust, diverse and sustainable nuclear workforce. As part of these efforts, the Agency organised three mentoring workshops in October 2021 to motivate students to pursue STEM careers and to illustrate the many opportunities available in the nuclear energy field. Read more

Koji Okamoto, Professor at the University of Tokyo, and lead of the NEST Advanced Remote Technology and Robotics for Decommissioning (ARTERD) project

Insights from the NEST Framework: A chat with Koji Okamoto

The NEST Advanced Remote Technology and Robotics for Decommissioning (ARTERD) project works on the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. It has been dedicated to remote technologies for decommissioning under intense gamma-ray radiation environments by utilising advanced digital applications such as robotics. The NEA spoke with the project lead Professor Koji Okamoto on the NEST Framework. Read more

FISPACT-II training course

The NEA Data Bank organised its second online training session on FISPACT-II from 18 to 28 October 2021. Facilitated by the code developers at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, the course attracted 25 participants from 9 countries. The course provided step-by-step demonstrations of FISPACT-II usage with case studies and sample tutorials. The code developers also introduced the recently-developed FISPACT-II API. Read more

MCNP6® training courses,
February 2022

The NEA Data Bank Computer Program Services will organise intermediate- and advanced-level courses on MCNP6®, which is widely used by the scientific community for radiation protection and shielding, fission and fusion reactor design, detector design and analysis, and medical physics. Find out more and apply

Nuclear safety regulation and research

Reactor core and containment cooling systems, Long-term management and reliability (RCCS-2021), 18-20 October

Long-term management and reliability of reactor core and containment cooling systems

The NEA Working Group on Analysis and Management of Accidents (WGAMA) organised a specialist workshop entitled "Reactor core and containment cooling systems: Long-term management and reliability (RCCS-2021)". Co-hosted by the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) and VÚEZ, the workshop was held virtually on 18-20 October 2021. Read more

Construction of new VVER reactors

The Multinational Design Evaluation Programme (MDEP) VVER Working Group held a joint workshop with Atomstroyexport JSC to review and discuss experience on the construction of new VVERs across the world. Held virtually on 27-29 October 2021, the workshop attracted representatives from design and vendor organisations, regulatory bodies and their technical support organisations, as well as from operators. Read more

📢 Call for abstracts: Joint NEA - IAEA International Symposium on Probabilistic Safety Assessment for Reactors of Singular Designs

The use of probabilistic safety assessment (PSA) in the assessment of risk and the improvement of safety for nuclear power plants follows clear international methodologies and has provided significant benefits in the past decades. However, there are significant challenges in conducting PSA for reactors of singular designs. In this context, the NEA and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will organise a symposium to facilitate exchange of knowledge and experience related to the challenges of conduction PSA for such unique reactors. The deadline for abstract submission is 15 November 2021. Find out more about the event and see suggested topics

Human aspects of nuclear safety

Assessing the influence of human and organisational factors on nuclear safety

The NEA Working Group on Human and Organisational Factors (WGHOF) held its biannual meeting on 25-26 October 2021. During the plenary session, country updates highlighted relevant activities undertaken at the national level and fostered the opportunity for constructive information sharing. Read more

Radiological protection

Radioactivity, Image by slightly_different from Pixabay

System of radiological protection revisited

The NEA Expert Group on International Recommendations (EGIR) was re-established recently to contribute to the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) periodic strategic review of the System of Radiological Protection. The group met for the first time on 8 October 2021 to set out the proposed work plan and discuss initial findings for the review.
Read more

Improving cross-border co-ordination for calculating radiation dose and risk

The NEA Expert Group on Comparison and Understanding of Dose Prognosis (EGDP) is working on an internal exercise in which member countries use the same source term for a given accident site, run their own dose prognosis code, and then compare their results with the ultimate objective to improve cross-border co-ordination for calculating radiation dose and risk. Read more

NEA participation in ConvEx-3 exercise

As a member of the Inter-Agency Committee on Radiological and Nuclear Emergencies (IACRNE), the NEA recently participated in the latest ConvEx-3 exercise held on 26-27 October 2021. Based on the outcomes of the exercise, the NEA is currently working with the IACRNE to develop, disseminate and analyse the Governmental Decisions and Recommendations (GDR) Survey of States. Read more

Radioactive waste management, decommissioning and legacy management

Group feedback, Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

Engaging stakeholders in radioactive waste management solutions

The NEA Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) held its annual plenary meeting on 12-14 October 2021 to discuss its ongoing work and the progress made in activities on youth involvement and stakeholder involvement in decommissioning and legacy management. The meeting agenda also included national updates on the topics relevant to FSC work. Read more

Exchange of information on nuclear installation decommissioning projects

The NEA's 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 18-22 October 2021, during which participating experts presented the current status of their national fuel facility and reactor decommissioning projects. Read more

Nuclear technology

High-temperature reactors and industrial heat applications

The NEA organised a virtual workshop on 7 October 2021 to explore the opportunities and challenges associated with high-temperature reactors for industrial heat applications. The overall aim of the workshop was to foster a common understanding of high-temperature reactor high-temperature reactors and discuss effective approaches for the practical deployment of this technology and its enabling environment. Read here

Updates from the Generation IV International Forum (GIF)

The Generation IV International Forum (GIF) held its semi-annual Policy Group meetings from 18 to 28 October 2021 to review and discuss its ongoing work and activities. In light of the role nuclear energy is expected to play in a worldwide net-zero scenario, the key priorities of GIF in the near term focus on accelerating the readiness of fourth generation nuclear systems to meet net-zero targets. Read here

Nuclear law

Contracting Parties to the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy (the “Paris Convention”) meeting, 28 October 2021

Contracting Parties to the Paris Convention meet remotely

The Contracting Parties to the Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy (the "Paris Convention") met remotely on 28 October 2021 to discuss the interpretation and implementation of the Paris Convention and the Brussels Convention Supplementary to the Paris Convention.
Read here

Nuclear science and data

ICSBEP, SINBAD, IRPhEP technical review groups meetings, 11-14 October 2021

International review of benchmark experiments

The NEA International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) Technical Review Group met in October to review new series of experiments including critical experiments on structural materials, notably iron, copper and aluminium, as well as shielding experiments on neutron leakage through copper, to be published in the 2022 edition of the ICSBEP Handbook. Read more

Person Holding Blue and Clear Ballpoint Pen, Photo by Lukas from Pexels

High entropy alloys for advanced nuclear applications

The NEA Expert Group on Innovative Structural Materials (EGISM) organised a workshop together with the Spanish Center for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT) on the development, potential uses, opportunities and limitations of high entropy alloys for nuclear applications. Participants agreed on the importance of collaboration at the international level to support the acceleration of high entropy materials development. Read more

Computer program services

Training courses

New computer codes and data library (restricted distribution)

14-OCT-21	IAEA1439	STACY, Very High Temp. Reactor V/HTR Safety Analyses for the Quantification of Fission Product Release from the Fuel (Tested)
12-OCT-21	IAEA1440	VSOP99-11, Neutron Spectra, 2-D Flux Synthesis, Fuel Management, Thermohydraulics Calculation (Tested)

Top tweet in October 2021

The NEA: Advanced thinking on nuclear energy

NEA membership consists of 34 countries representing 80% of the world's installed nuclear electricity generating capacity. The mission of the NEA is to assist its member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally sound and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. It strives to provide authoritative assessments and to forge common understandings on key issues as input to government decisions on nuclear energy policy and to broader OECD analyses in areas such as energy and the sustainable development of low-carbon economies. The information, data and analyses it provides draw on one of the best international networks of technical experts.

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