| Chair(s): |
Martin KEARNS, United Kingdom |
Secretary: |
Markus BEILMANN (markus.beilmann@oecd-nea.org) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vice-Chair(s): |
Pascal REGNIER, France | ||
| Member(s): | All NEA member countries* | ||
| Russia (Suspended*) | |||
| *Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council. | |||
| Full participant(s): |
European Commission Under the NEA Statute | ||
| Participant(s): |
India | ||
| Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement | ||
| Date of creation: | 03 December 2015 | ||
| End of mandate: | 31 December 2026 |
Mandate (Document reference):
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract of document NEA/SEN/SIN/WGELEC(2023)1
Background
The Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) launched a Task Group on Defence in Depth of Electrical Systems (DIDELSYS) (2008-2011) after a switchyard-induced voltage surge event at Forsmark Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in July 2006 caused the loss of two out of four safety-related AC buses along with all connected Instrumentation and Control (I&C) and support systems. This Task Group focused on providing recommendations to address internal plant and grid upset events and the ability to safely recover from these events.
In March 2011, the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident occurred with a tsunami-induced AC and DC station blackout accident. Such loss of power associated with severe external events was beyond the scope of the DIDELSYS Task Group and the CSNI called for a Senior Task Group on Robustness of Electrical Systems of NPPs in Light of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident (ROBELSYS) to evaluate the safety implications of severe external events on safety related electrical systems. International participants at a workshop held by the ROBELSYS Senior Task Group expressed a consensus on the need for continuing efforts, and particularly, the establishment of a permanent international working group to stay abreast of evolving issues and recommended practices. As such, the CSNI agreed to establish the Working Group on the Safety of Electrical Systems (WGELEC) in December 2015.
Besides this, the outcomes of both DIDELSYS and ROBELSYS task groups have been considered by the IAEA to develop safety requirements documents, and by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) to develop standards as appropriate.
Scope
The scope of the WGELEC is all equipment located within a nuclear installation and provided for the purpose of generating, transmitting and distributing the electricity necessary for the achievement of safety functions (i.e. the plant power system). This includes batteries, emergency power systems, generators, cables, switchboards, transformers, breakers, protective relaying, etc. It also encompasses I&C equipment specifically needed to manage this electricity supply function. Additionally, the loads supplied (motors, drives, sensors, relays, computers, etc.) are also within the scope of the WGELEC, but only regarding their electrical characteristics.
The WGELEC will consider safety aspects ranging from issues specific to a given type of equipment up to considerations regarding the overall behaviour of a nuclear installation’s electrical power system.
WGELEC activities will focus mainly on issues affecting existing reactors and fuel cycle installations, but will also consider their applicability for new installations, in particular advanced reactor designs including small modular reactors (SMRs).
Objectives
The WGELEC will advance the current understanding and address safety issues related to electrical systems of nuclear installations. Its activities aim to enhance the safety performance of nuclear installations and improve the effectiveness of regulatory practices in NEA member countries. To this end, the WGELEC seeks to address the challenges identified in the NEA Strategic Plan 2023-2028 and implement the CSNI Operating Plan and Guidelines.
Specifically, the WGELEC will:
Working Methods
The WGELEC shall report to the CSNI and assist the Committee with its work. The WGELEC will also collaborate with, and respond to requests from, the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) and other working groups of the CSNI.
The WGELEC will meet on an annual basis to review progress of its programme of work and identify activities that should be added to the programme of work, subject to CSNI approval. The WGELEC will be led by a Chair, and supported by a Bureau of up to four of the leading members of the Working Group.
The WGELEC will facilitate specialist meetings, workshops and other means of fostering international collaboration with nuclear and other industries, where appropriate, to further its objectives.
Membership
The WGELEC is comprised of representatives identified as senior experts in the electrical systems of NPPs, and typically come from nuclear regulatory authorities, technical support organisations (TSOs), industry or academia.
Delegates from non-member partner countries (participants or invitees) may also attend WGELEC meetings (according to the Global Relations Strategic Directions of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy).
Interactions
The WGELEC will collaborate with and support cross-cutting initiatives proposed by other NEA bodies. It will ensure that the CNRA and other NEA bodies, international organisations and stakeholders are consulted as appropriate when potential cross-cutting work on the safety of electrical systems is proposed by the WGELEC.
The NEA has established Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with a number of organizations, such as the American Nuclear Society (ANS), the CANDU Owners Group (COG), the Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry (CRIEPI), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), to promote international collaboration, particularly in the area of nuclear safety. Accordingly, representatives from these organizations can be invited to participate in the activities of WGELEC, consistent with the MOUs, to coordinate their work and to avoid unnecessary duplication.
Deliverables
The WGELEC will produce state-of-the-art reports and other technical reports, workshops and conferences with related reports and proceedings, benchmarking exercises and joint research proposals. One or more (internal) reports are usually issued for each of the activities. Final reports are issued as CSNI reports.
