The NEA Expert Group on Nuclear Liability and Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities (EGLDF) held its kick-off meeting online on 10 March 2026, with 21 participants representing 12 NEA member countries, as well as representatives from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the nuclear insurance industry.
The EGLDF has been mandated to examine whether the nuclear liability issues identified in the report on Deep Geological Repositories and Nuclear Liability are also relevant to other types of radioactive waste disposal facilities, to assess the extent to which the report’s findings and conclusions apply to such facilities and, subject to those assessments, to develop a follow-up report addressing nuclear liability issues related to radioactive waste disposal facilities in general. In this context, participants discussed the draft plan of the report on radioactive waste disposal facilities and nuclear liability, including its proposed scope, methodology and structure, as well as the main legal, technical, insurance and financial security issues to be addressed.
To inform this work, the NEA Division of Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning (RWMD) presented the types and categories of radioactive waste disposal facilities, including specific considerations applicable to small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced reactors, while the NEA Division of Radiological Protection and Human Aspects of Nuclear Safety (RP-HANS) outlined the radiological protection criteria and risks associated with such facilities.
The meeting agenda also featured presentations by an expert from the nuclear insurance industry on insurance challenges associated with radioactive waste disposal facilities, as well as by Belgium on the latest national developments in legal and regulatory frameworks applicable to radioactive waste disposal facilities.
Visit here for more information on the Expert Group on Nuclear Liability and Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities (EGLDF).
