The NEA Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS) convened on 20 June 2025 for its 33rd meeting to discuss the ongoing and future activities.
The event gathered more than 25 experts from 14 countries, including professionals from academia, industry, research institutions and nuclear safety authorities.
Participants highlighted 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;
- experimental coverage and error recovery; and
- updated publication of a handbook of critical and possibly subcritical values.
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).
The next series of meetings will take place in January 2026, the community of experts will also 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, visit the WPNCS information page.
