Codes and Standards Working Group (CSWG)

The MDEP Codes and Standards Working Group (CSWG) was approved by MDEP's Policy Group in March 2008. All MDEP members and the IAEA are invited to participate in this working group's activities, which complement the IAEA's work in this area.

The group meets approximately twice a year to further the goals of searching for ways to harmonise and converge national codes, standards, and regulatory requirements and practices in this area while recognising the sovereign rights and responsibilities of national regulators in carrying out their safety reviews of new reactor designs (see the CSWG programme plan for more details of the group's work).

The CSWG interacts regularly with Standards Development Organisations (SDO):

• ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers)
• AFCEN (French Association for the rules governing the Design, Construction and Operating Supervision of the Equipment Items for Electro Nuclear Boilers)
• CSA (Canadian Standards Association)
• JSME (Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers)
• KEA (Korea Electric Association)
• NIKIET (designated Russian Code Comparison authority)

The CSWG also maintains a close interaction with the World Nuclear Association's (WNA) working group on Co-operation in Reactor Design Evaluation and Licensing (CORDEL).

The CSWG reports its status to the MDEP Steering Technical Committee (STC) at the latter's thrice annually meetings.

Accomplishments

For more information, see the MDEP Annual Report: 2018-2019.

Programme plan

2016-2017 Programme Plan

Products

• Encouraged by the CSWG, the SDO representatives have produced a comprehensive report on the Code comparison for Class 1 Nuclear Power Plant Components that may be found on the ASME website.
• Common Position CP-CSWG-01 on findings from code comparisons and establishment of a global framework towards pressure-boundary code harmonisation.
• Technical report TR-CSWG-01 on the regulatory frameworks for the use of nuclear pressure boundary codes and standards in MDEP countries.
• Technical Report TR-CSWG-02 on lessons learnt on achieving harmonisation of codes and standards for pressure boundary components in nuclear power plants.
• Technical report TR-CSWG-03 on the Fundamental Attributes for the design and construction of reactor coolant pressure-boundary components.
• Technical report TR-CSWG-04 on the essential performance guidelines for the design and construction of pressure boundary components.
• Technical report TR-CSWG-05 on CSWG Past, Current and Future Activities.

Last reviewed: 01 February 2022