NEA Mandates and Structures

CSNI Programme Review Group (CSNI PRG)

Chair(s):	Kimberly WEBBER, United States	Secretary:	Vesselina RANGUELOVA (vesselina.ranguelova@oecd-nea.org)
Member(s):	All NEA member countries^*
	Russia (Suspended*)
	^*Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council.
Date of creation:	31 December 1999
End of mandate:	31 December 2026

Mandate (Document reference):

The Strategic Plan for the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) [NEA/CSNI/R(2000)3]
CSNI Operating Plan (2006-2009) [NEA/CSNI/R(2007)7]
Summary Record of the 40^th Meeting of the CSNI [NEA/SEN/SIN(2007)1]
Summary Record of the 47^th Meeting of the CSNI [NEA/SEN/SIN(2010)2]
Operating Plan and Guidelines for the Nuclear Energy Agency Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations: 2017-2022 [NEA/CSNI/R(2017)17/REV1]
Summary Record of the 61^st Meeting of the CSNI [NEA/SEN/SIN(2017)2]
Summary Record of the 71^th Meeting of the CSNI [NEA/SEN/SIN(2022)4]
Mandate of the CSNI Programme Review Group (CSNI PRG) [NEA/SEN/SIN/PRG(2023)3]

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from document NEA/SEN/SIN/PRG(2023)3

Background

The Programme Review Group (PRG) was established in 1999 by the CSNI to assist the Bureau and enable a more rapid initiation of proposals and approvals of CSNI reports, and to help assuring a high quality of CSNI’s work.

Scope

Programme Review Group (PRG) covers all activities, procedures and reports delivered by the CSNI working groups, expert groups and ad-hoc task forces. The PRG is also requested to provide assistance in evaluation of safety relevance of joint research safety projects undertaken under the auspices of CSNI.

Objectives

The PRG’s objective is to perform a programme quality review function within the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) and to provide scientific assistance to the decision-making process of the CSNI. The PRG should also support the Bureau in preparing CSNI meetings and in proposing actions concerning the achievement of CSNI objectives, in the context of the NEA Strategic Plan 2023-2028.

The main functions of the Programme Review Group are the following:

Assist the CSNI Bureau in establishing and maintaining up-to-date the CSNI Operating Plan and Guidelines (OPG).
Review the programme of work of each CSNI working group with respect to overall workload and priorities.
Evaluate new activity proposals from the CSNI working groups: check consistency with the OPG and the working groups’ programmes of work, assess the resource and time requirements and issue recommendations to the CSNI.
Evaluate new NEA joint project proposals with regard to their technical content and their alignment with CSNI’s programme of work and priorities and issue recommendations to the CSNI.
At the request of the CSNI, provide assistance to the Bureau for the work of the Committee and its working structures with respect to cross-cutting issues.
Monitor the progress of ongoing activities in the context of the programme of work of the respective working groups and OPG technical goals and recommend corrective actions as needed.
Review and, if necessary, make proposals for topics of Technical Opinion Papers and Collective Opinion Statements.
Review CSNI reports and provide guidance and advice on technical subjects to the CSNI.
Report on its activities and recommendations at each Committee meeting.

Working Methods

The mode of operation of the PRG is based upon plenary meetings and an ongoing, working programme to carry out the above main tasks. The PRG will identify resources and schedules for its activities. The Chair leads and organises the work of the PRG.

The PRG will report to CSNI at its plenary meetings and the CSNI and CNRA during their joint sessions (with the agreement of both committees).

Membership

The PRG should be comprised of senior nuclear safety experts from leading organisations in CSNI member countries. The PRG members are appointed by CSNI with consensus. The group should have sufficient competence and expertise to cover all CSNI technical areas and the necessary scientific capabilities to propose amendments and modifications to CSNI activities, in order to keep the CSNI working programme abreast with current and emerging safety challenges.

Interactions

The PRG will interact with all NEA Committees, to the extent necessary to fulfil its mandate. In particular, the PRG will co-operate with the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle (NDC), to ensure efficient collaboration, coordination and exchange on their respective work on Nuclear installations.

The NEA has established Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with a number of organisations such as the CANDU Owners Group (COG), the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), to promote international collaboration, particularly in the area of nuclear safety. The PRG will, in its purview, interact with these organisations as may be necessary.

Deliverables

The deliverables of the CSNI and its working groups are technical reports, proceedings of seminars or workshops, final summary reports from joint projects, state-of-the-art reports, and technical or collective opinion papers. The PRG will contribute to the technical review of those deliverables.