NEA Mandates and Structures


RADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE (RWMC)

Chair(s): Hiroyuki UMEKI, Japan
Secretaries:  Nobuhiro MUROYA
(nobuhiro.muroya@oecd-nea.org)
Rebecca TADESSE
(rebecca.tadesse@oecd-nea.org)
Vice-Chair(s): Jussi HEINONEN, Finland
Daniel DELORT, France
Alice Mariana DIMA, Romania
James MCKINNEY, United Kingdom
Christopher REGAN, United States
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
Observer(s)(International Organisation): International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
By agreement
Date of creation:23 June 1975
End of mandate:31 December 2028

Mandate (Document reference):

  • Record of the 50th meeting of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy on 9th October 1975 [NE/M(75)3]
  • Proposed Strategy and Programme of Work in the Field of Radioactive Waste Management [NE(81)14]
  • Revision of the Mandate of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) [NEA/NE(92)5], approved by the Steering Committee on Nuclear Energy on 6-7 October 1992
  • Review of the NEA Committee Structure [NEA/NE(2000)11/REV1]
  • Review of Mandates of the NEA Standing Technical Committees [NEA/NE(2005)2]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 117th Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2008)2]
  • Review of the NEA Standing Technical Committee Mandates [NEA/NE(2010)7]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 121st Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2010)2]
  • Review of the Mandates of NEA Bodies Reporting Directly to the Steering Committee [NEA/NE(2016)5]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 133rd Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2016)2] 
  • Update of the Mandate of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) Following the Creation of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management [NEA/NE(2017)14]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 136th Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy [NEA/SUM/DEC(2018)1] 
  • Mandate approved under the written procedure by the RWMC members [NEA/RWM(2022)3/FINAL]
  • Review of Mandates of the NEA Standing Technical Committees and the Management Board for the Development, Application and Validation of Nuclear Data and Codes (MBDAV) [NEA/NE(2022)20]
  • Summary of Decisions Taken at the 144th Session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy (Item 10) [NEA/SUM/DEC(2022)2]

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from document NEA/NE(2022)20

Mandate

The NEA conducts important international activities to support the development of a global strategy for considering aspects of sustainability concerning the use of nuclear power and nuclear materials. According to the NEA Strategic Plan for 2023-2028, the Agency’s general objective in the field of radioactive waste and spent fuel management is to assist member countries in the development of safe, sustainable, and broadly acceptable strategies for the long-term management of all types of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel, from the production to the disposal. In this context, the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) shall:

  • Develop a common understanding of the basic issues related to the management of all kinds of radioactive waste and spent fuel, and promote the adoption of a holistic approach based on the concept of sustainable development in view of very-long time frames and associated challenges of generational transfer of responsibilities and knowledge. This method comprises:
    • the environment, wherein approaches to radioactive waste management should demonstrate safety through science and technology, processes and materials;
    • economics, including the assurance of sufficient funding and the optimisation of costs;
    • societal and ethical aspects, where social trust and confidence are built into radioactive waste management and have been embedded into a national legislative, regulatory and organisational framework.
  • Provide a forum for senior representatives from national agencies, regulatory authorities, policy-making bodies, research and development institutions with responsibilities in the management of radioactive waste, as well as other government-nominated specialists, for the exchange of information and experience on radioactive waste management policies and practices in NEA member countries, and for advancing the state of the art on technical, economic and societal aspects in this area.
  • Identify and analyse key issues in policy and strategy for optimisation of the management of spent fuel and radioactive waste generated during various activities including decommissioning. These shall include key issues that are relevant to legal, regulatory and organisational frameworks of radioactive waste management at all stages, from radioactive waste production to the disposal thereof. Newly identified challenges and trend updates in the nuclear industry will be taken into account and addressed to continue ensuring an optimised and sustainable development of national radioactive waste management programmes.
  • Contribute to the dissemination of information in this field through the organisation of specialist meetings as well as the publication of reports and consensus statements summarising the results of joint activities that are for the benefit of the international scientific community, competent authorities at national levels and other audiences generally interested in the subject.
  • Offer, upon request, a framework for the conduct of international peer reviews and international expert feedbacks of national activities in the field of radioactive waste management.
  • Promote cooperative efforts such as the setting up of joint international R&D projects or the development of databases, promote initiatives to retain relevant competencies and knowledge and support the preservation of and generational transfer of essential knowledge in the field of nuclear waste and spent fuel management.

For developing its programme of work, and in its modus operandi, the RWMC will follow the holistic approach and rely on discipline-oriented working parties and expert groups in the areas of radioactive waste management. The associated societal issues will be examined by the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC), which provides support, as a shared body between the RWMC and Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management (CDLM), to both Committees. RWMC members delegated from regulatory authorities will also meet in the Regulators’ Forum (RF) to provide regulatory expertise and support the RWMC work through the information exchange and activities on issues of regulating radioactive waste management. The RF also gathers representatives of regulators from the CDLM members and, being a part of both Committees, will support both of them.

In the fulfilment of its responsibilities, the RWMC will be led by the RWMC Chair and Bureau and supported by the NEA Division of Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning (RWMD) and for activities associated with the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence and related areas by the staff of the NEA Division of Radiological Protection and Human Aspects of Nuclear Safety (RP HANS).

The RWMC will co-operate with other NEA standing technical committees, in particular, with the CDLM, to ensure efficient collaboration, coordination and exchange on activity updates in the area of radioactive waste management and decommissioning. The coordination between these two committees with closely linked activities will be provided through the organising of joint sessions at the annual meetings and joint bureau meetings of both committees and other approaches. The RWMC will also interact as appropriate with other NEA programs, international scientific bodies, industry and stakeholder organisations, and other international agencies.

The RWMC provides its support to members through the activities of its sub-groups, joint initiatives with other NEA groups and cooperation with external international activities. The results of these activities, after the RWMC approval, will be delivered to all members.