The NEA Working Group on New Technologies (WGNT) is organising a hybrid international workshop on 17-18 September 2026.  The workshop will be hosted at the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) headquarters in Vantaa, Finland.

Potential licence applicants are exploring the use of nuclear energy for several non-electrical applications, and some NEA member countries are identifying the necessity for further discussion on potential applications in the near future.

The objective of this workshop is to create a structured forum for open information exchange between regulators and industry, thereby facilitating regulatory discussion and exploring proposals with industry on non-electrical applications of nuclear energy, specifically, district heating, process heating and hydrogen production. The workshop aims to identify and address uncertainties, knowledge gaps, and regulatory ambiguities related to the non‑electrical applications of nuclear energy. The intention is to achieve a clearer, shared understanding of the concepts, interfaces, challenges and emerging technologies that may influence future regulatory considerations for these applications.

The workshop will provide opportunities to:

• Exchange information on these applications between the regulatory bodies and selected representatives of industry. Participants will also have the opportunity to introduce and discuss general concepts, ideas, novel approaches and challenges in the applications.
• Identify possible regulatory barriers, important themes, potential items to consider and available resources for technical aspects. Participants may share generic regulatory advice through open and transparent discussions. It is not required for the workshop participants to provide a regulatory conclusion, direction or approval, as well as to perform a technical or regulatory review.

The workshop will explore four topics related to non-electric applications of district heating, process heating and hydrogen production. The four topics are:

1. Organisational Models and Outsourcing
2. Interfaces and Safety Interdependencies Between Nuclear and Conventional Sides
3. Siting Considerations Near Urban or Industrial Areas
4. Special Hazards and Initiating Events in Non-Electric Nuclear Applications

Each topic will be explored with a mock safety case and problem statement. The mock safety case is a generic description of the situation to be explored and does not contain any design specific information. The workshop participants will have the mock safety cases and the problem statements in advance of the workshop.

Participation in this effort is open to the public, subject to the policies of STUK.  Registration will be closed on 28 August 2026.

Only 50 seats are available for in-person participation, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.