NEA Mandates and Structures

Working Group on New Technologies (WGNT)

Chair(s):	Teresa MONTANER-CALATRAVA, United Kingdom	Secretary:	Taehee KIM (taehee.kim@oecd-nea.org)
Vice-Chair(s):	Eetu AHONEN, Finland
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:	01 January 2023
End of mandate:	31 December 2025

Mandate (Document reference):

Participant Status of India in the CNRA and its subsidiary bodies: 2018 Update of the NEA Participation Plan [NEA/NE(2018)8] and official letter received from India on 15 October 2018 confirming its acceptance of Participant Status in the CNRA and its subsidiary bodies
Summary Record of the 41^st CNRA meeting held on 3-4 June 2019 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2019)1]
Summary Record of the 42^nd CNRA meeting held on 2-3 December 2019 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2019)2]
Summary Record of the 43^rd CNRA meeting held on 2-3 June 2020 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2020)1]
Summary Record of the 44^th CNRA meeting held on 30 November – 1 December 2020 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2020)2]
Summary record of the 47^th CNRA meeting held on 2-3 June 2022 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2022)1]
Mandate of the Working Group on New Technologies (WGNT) [NEA/SEN/NRA(2022)5]

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract of document NEA/SEN/NRA(2022)5

Mandate

The WGNT is responsible for supporting and advising the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) in carrying out its programme of work areas related to regulatory activities in the area of new technologies.

Scope

With a focus on the regulatory approaches to ensure safety of new technologies deployed or being considered for deployment in NEA member and partner countries, the WGNT aims to:

provide a forum for regulators and their Technical Support Organisations (TSOs) to exchange information and experience from licensing and oversight of past and current nuclear facilities;
support the development of a common understanding; and
explore opportunities for the harmonisation of licensing standards for new technologies.

In the context of WGNT, new technologies include new reactors (small modular reactors, Generation IV reactors and new large reactors), as well as application of innovative technologies used to support the existing fleet (e.g., components created with advanced manufacturing methods and application of digital technology).

Objectives

The WGNT will:

Share information and experience related to regulatory frameworks, technical matters, and licensing approaches associated with new technologies;
Explore opportunities for harmonisation of licensing approaches and develop common regulatory positions and green booklets associated with new technologies;
Identify gaps in the knowledge required for the substantiation and assessment of the safety cases for new technologies;
Develop position papers on regulatory expectations associated with the future regulatory acceptance and licensing of new technologies;
Identify, in coordination with the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI), specific research areas for resolving important regulatory priorities, such as fuel testing and development, codes development and validation; and
Develop common positions on important aspects when evaluating the safety of innovative technologies as applied to new technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence, additive manufacturing).

Working methods

The WGNT will:

be led by a Bureau (consisting of a Chair and at least one Vice Chair) designated and acting according to the OECD guidelines;
constitute a forum of regulatory body representatives to share information and experience on regulation of advanced reactors, as well as on acceptance of innovative technologies in nuclear to facilitate a cooperative approach to identify key regulatory issues, promote a common resolution and document commendable practices;
report to the CNRA and assist the Committee with its work. The WGNT programme of work will be approved by the CNRA;
work closely with the CSNI on knowledge gaps identified for advanced reactors and a common approach for resolving the gaps;
organise, on a regular basis, meetings, workshops and conferences; and
charter and oversee targeted, limited term subsidiary bodies (e.g. expert groups) to conduct analyses and develop reports on subjects of particular interest.

Membership

Members of the WGNT are senior representatives from regulatory authorities, and research and development institutions. Their level of seniority is such that they can mobilise relevant specialists in their own organisation and, in principle, make resources available to support WGNT initiatives.

Interactions

The WGNT will closely co-ordinate with, provide input to, and consider inputs from other relevant NEA bodies, such as the Working Group on Accident Management and Analysis (WGAMA), the Working Group on Fuel Safety (WGFS), and the Nuclear Innovation 2050 project (NI2050).

The WGNT will interact with organisations performing research and design of advanced reactors, as appropriate, including the Generation IV International Forum (GIF) (considering GIF safety design criteria, safety design guidelines, etc.) and establish effective and independent interactions with industry at early stages of advanced reactors development.

As part of its activities, the WGNT will co-ordinate with other international organisations (e.g. IAEA, EC, WENRA, WNA CORDEL, Standards Development Organisations) to ensure consistency of approach and, as appropriate, avoid duplication of work, in particular with the IAEA SMR Regulators’ Forum.

Deliverables

The WGNT will provide regulatory perspectives and influence by issuing technical reports, green booklets, and holding workshops in areas where additional or revised regulatory frameworks, licensing approaches, and regulatory standards or research may be needed with regard to new technologies.