| Chair(s): |
Philippe LALIEUX, Belgium Jens MIBUS, Germany |
Secretary: |
Morgan PACKER (morgan.packer@oecd-nea.org) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vice-Chair(s): |
Julie BROWN, Canada Sylvie VOINIS, 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 | ||
| Observer(s)(International Organisation): |
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) By agreement | ||
| Date of creation: | 19 March 2019 | ||
| End of mandate: | 28 February 2025 |
Mandate (Document reference):
Mandate (Document extract):
Extract from Document NEA/RWM(2023)3/FINAL
Background
Experience has shown that when developing consequent projects, the “decide-announce-defend” approach - in which the public communities were not involved or informed - would fail. In major decision making, there has been enough experience which indicates that dialogue with stakeholders is essential. Many national radioactive waste management programs have witnessed risk disputes centred on government credibility and openness. It is therefore crucial to establish a common understanding of the key objectives and safety criteria for the disposal of radioactive waste.
The current trend is to emphasize stakeholder confidence. The elements that relate to acquiring and maintaining the confidence of stakeholders in the regulatory system and in the implementer’s waste management program stem from constraints on the regulatory system, such as:
In implementing the RWMC’s vision to develop sustainable strategies for the management of all types of radioactive waste, the Expert Group on Building Constructive Dialogue between Regulators and Implementers in Developing Disposal Solutions for Radioactive Waste (RIDD) was established, and the Terms of Reference was discussed at the 51st Session of the RWMC on 25-26, April 2018.
RIDD was created to identify best practices and develop recommendations for structuring the regulator-implementer (R-I) dialogue in the decision-making process in programs for geological disposal of spent fuel / high-level radioactive waste.
Scope
The RIDD will address issues related to the establishment and effective building of dialogue between regulators and implementers, and ways to improve national practices with developed recommendations. With the agreement of RWMC, RIDD will focus on R-I dialogue concerning deep geological repository (DGR) projects using the outcomes of previous relevant NEA initiatives. More specifically, the RIDD initiative will cover the following scope:
Objectives
The RIDD proposes to maintain focus on the pre-licensing dialogue phase for DGRs. As such, the RIDD will:
i) A stepwise approach towards licensing;
ii) A common understanding of what is needed at each step of the licensing process, which criteria will be used, against which regulations, and with what level of detail;
iii) A clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of the various actors (e.g. radioactive waste management organisations (WMO’s), regulators, TSO’s);
iv) An approach to ensure the independency of the regulatory authorities;
v) An outline of the life cycle / feedback loop from safety assessment towards regulation and vice versa; and,
vi) A collaboration with IGSC for defining the types of safety assessment and safety case needed at various stages of the generic roadmap towards licensing.
2. Ensure the balanced involvement and independence of regulators in close collaboration with RF and FSC, including understanding the perception of independence by various stakeholders;
3. Emphasise the responsibilities of the implementer and respective scope of action;
4. Continue investigation on how to structure effective R-I dialogue, notably through developing a set of indicators for assessing trends in effectiveness of R-I dialogue and proposing ways to improve these outcomes; and
5. Improve links and synergies with other international or multilateral relevant initiatives (e.g. IAEA, SITEX).
Working Methods
Membership
The RIDD mandate aims for composition of a diverse range of senior level experts from NEA member countries who have considerable experience and knowledge in radioactive waste management. Balanced representation of both regulators and implementers will be sought, along with incorporation of experts from the social sciences.
Interactions
The work of RIDD will be complementary to that of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Commission (EC). As such, the group will continue to co-operate with its relevant counterparts and provide input to the activities of these institutions, as appropriate.
Through the RWMC and Secretariat, RIDD will co-operate with the NEA standing technical committees and their subsidiary bodies when relevant, in particular those of the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC), Regulators’ Forum (RF), and the Integration Group for the Safety Case (IGSC) to identify (i) interfaces between the groups and (ii) overlaps and common issues.
Deliverables
