NEA Mandates and Structures


Expert Group on the Sixth International Nuclear Emergency Exercise (EGINEX6)

Chair(s): Secretary:  Lucas MARTIRI
(lucas.martiri@oecd-nea.org)
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:01 April 2022
End of mandate:31 March 2024

Mandate (Document reference):

  • Summary Record of Agreements and Commitments of the 46th Meeting of the Working Party on Nuclear Emergency Matters held virtually on 3-5 November 2021 [NEA/CRPPH/INEX(2022)1]
  • Draft Summary Record, Agreements and Decisions of the 79th Annual Meeting of the Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health held virtually on the 21-23 April 2021 [NEA/CRPPH(2021)9]
  • Strategic Direction, Objectives and Prioritisation of Activities to Guide the Evolution of the Committee’s Programmes of Work for 2021-2022 and 2023-2028 [NEA/CRPPH(2021)4]
  • Summary Record of Agreements and Commitments of the 45th Meeting of the Working Party on Nuclear Emergency Matters held virtually on 17-18 November 2020 [NEA/CRPPH/INEX(2020)3/REV1]
  • Report of the INEX-6 Preparatory Task Force (PTF) to the WPNEM – Findings on and options for running INEX as a recovery exercise [NEA/CRPPH/INEX(2021)14]
  • Experience from the INEX-5 exercises on notification, communication and interfaces related to catastrophic events involving ionizing radiation and/or radioactive materials – Including WPNEM-41 Topical Session and INEX-5 International Workshop [NEA/CRPPH/INEX(2017)5/PROV]
  • Building a Framework for Post Nuclear Accident Recovery Preparedness – National Level Guidance (NEA Publication No.7582, forthcoming)
  • Mandate of the Expert Group on the Sixth International Nuclear Emergency Exercise (EGINEX6) [NEA/CRPPH/INEX(2022)3]

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract of document NEA/CRPPH/INEX(2022)3

Background

The International Nuclear Emergency Exercise (INEX) series has been coordinated by the NEA since 1993. The exercises offer participating countries with the opportunity to test topical issues related to nuclear emergency preparedness and provides a platform for international comparisons on best practice and areas for improvement. An INEX exercise has been organised approximately every 5 years since 1993. The last one, INEX-5 was played between 2015 and 2016.

Following discussions at the 45th meeting of the Working Party on Nuclear Emergency Matters (WPNEM) in November 2020 and the 79th meeting of the Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health (CRPPH) in March 2021, it was agreed to start preparations for the next INEX (INEX-6) and to focus the exercise on the recovery phase of nuclear and radiological emergencies. This was based on evidence captured in a survey of CRPPH members carried out in 2020, which identified the next INEX exercise as the top priority in the area of nuclear emergency matters.

A Preparatory Task Force (PTF) for INEX-6 was established in 2021 to prepare initial proposals for INEX-6 including the potential exercise objectives and scope, areas where the exercise could lead to substantial improvement and methods and approaches that could be applied. The PTF reported on and presented the initial findings at the 46th meeting of the WPNEM where it was agreed that the formal planning, delivery and review of INEX-6 will now be carried forward by a dedicated Expert Group on the 6th International Nuclear Emergency Exercise (EGINEX6).

Scope and Objectives

The main objective of the EGINEX6 is to coordinate the planning and delivery of the sixth International Nuclear Emergency Exercise, INEX-6, which will focus on the recovery phase of nuclear and radiological emergencies. The EGINEX6 will also capture learning from the exercise to feed into the CRPPH and WPNEM for consideration and action within future Programmes of Work.

The EGINEX6 will:

  • Coordinate the planning, delivery and review of INEX-6;
  • Develop the exercise scenario;
  • Develop exercise materials and briefings, including the player and umpire instructions, training, and debrief report;
  • Find novel and innovative ways to exercise recovery preparedness, noting the scarcity and complexity of such events;
  • Ensure the exercise is open and inclusive to all countries wishing to participate, regardless of their existing level of recovery preparedness;
  • Ensure the date [1] set for the exercise does not conflict with other international emergency exercises and, where possible, is complementary to such events. For example, EGINEX-6 may consider collaborating with a planned international response phase exercise to use this as the basis for a test of the recovery phase.

Working Methods

The mode of operation of the EGINEX6 is based upon plenary meetings and an ongoing, project-oriented working programme. A Bureau including the Chair and one Vice Chair will lead and organise the work of the EGINEX6. The EGINEX6 will report to WPNEM and to the CRPPH at its plenary meetings.

Additionally, the EGINEX6 will:

  1. identify resources and schedules for its activities;
  2. form task teams to work on specific projects and to organise workshops, as appropriate;
  3. annually review the programme of work and the effectiveness of the programme;
  4. incorporate the feedback received from CRPPH, WPNEM and INEX-6 Preparatory Task Force (PTF) to refine the objectives, scope and format of INEX-6;
  5. utilise the learning and outcomes from previous national and international exercises, such as the INEX-series, to shape the delivery of INEX-6; and
  6. ensure the exercise aligns with the Expert Group on Recovery Management (EGRM) publication “Building a Framework for Post-Nuclear Accident Recovery Preparedness – National Level Guidance”, which has been approved by the CRPPH.

Membership

The EGINEX6 membership shall be composed of experts in Emergency Planning, Response and Recovery from NEA member countries.

Interactions

The EGINEX6 will report into the WPNEM and to the CRPPH. The EGINEX6 will engage with other NEA groups and International Organisations, including the Inter-Agency Committee on Radiological and Nuclear Emergencies (IACRNE), to ensure INEX-6 is far reaching and complementary to other national and international exercises, including the IAEA’s ConvEx exercise programme. Non-member countries may be invited to participate in the exercise planning and delivery in line with NEA Rules and Procedures.

Deliverables

The deliverables of EGINEX6 are:

  • A manual describing how to prepare and conduct INEX-6;
  • An international workshop to capture learning from the exercise and identify areas of gaps or improvements;
  • An exercise report, which outlines the key lessons from the exercise and the international workshop and produces recommendations for future programme of work.

 


[1] INEX-6 may be run on a fixed date or over a series of days where participating countries are given a range of dates to complete the exercise.