The NEA Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS) convened online on 24 January 2025 for its 32nd annual meeting. The event gathered over 50 experts from 14 countries, including professionals from academia, industry, research institutions and safety authorities.
Participants discussed ongoing and future activities, highlighting several key initiatives:
- burnup credit loading curves for irradiated pressurised water reactor (PWR) fuel;
- nuclear data uncertainty propagation for irradiated fuel inventory calculations;
- computational spent nuclear fuel decay heat; and
- experimental coverage and error recovery.
The meeting also featured updates from technical review groups, including the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project Technical Review Group (ICSBEPTRG) and the Spent Fuel Composition Technical Review Group (SFCOMPOTRG).
While the next series of meetings are scheduled for June 2025, the community of experts will have the chance to gather during the upcoming Nuclear Criticality Safety Division 2025 Conference, which will take place in September 2025 in Austin, Texas, organised by the American Nuclear Society (ANS).
With a diverse range of topics covered, the meeting facilitated productive discussions and provided a platform for experts to exchange insights on criticality safety challenges and advancements.
For more information about the working party’s activities, please visit the WPNCS information page.
