NEA Mandates and Structures


Working Group on Supply Chain (WGSUP)

Chair(s): Jérémy HUBERT, France
Secretary:  Sangmin LEE
(sangmin.lee@oecd-nea.org)
Vice-Chair(s): Dan PAPAZ, Canada
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 41st CNRA meeting held on 3-4 June 2019 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2019)1]
  • Summary Record of the 42nd CNRA meeting held on 2-3 December 2019 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2019)2]
  • Summary Record of the 43rd CNRA meeting held on 2-3 June 2020 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2020)1]
  • Summary Record of the 44th CNRA meeting held on 30 November – 1 December 2020 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2020)2]
  • Summary Record of the 47th CNRA meeting held on 2-3 June 2022 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2022)1]
  • Mandate of the Working Group on Supply Chain (WGSUP) [NEA/SEN/NRA(2022)7]

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract of document NEA/SEN/NRA(2022)7

Background

Suppliers have a critical safety role in the construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Today, the nuclear supply chain is evolving towards more globalisation but with a declining number of nuclear grade suppliers and a loss of skills in some regions. Supply chain oversight raises specific challenges, like Counterfeit, Fraudulent, and Suspect Items (CFSI) that require regulators to adopt new practices and cooperate more closely with each other.

Mandate

The WGSUP 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 nuclear supply chains.

Scope

The WGSUP provides a mechanism for nuclear safety regulators and Technical Support Organisations (TSOs) to share their knowledge in making policy and licensing decisions, as well as oversight practices related to the supply chain.  WGSUP focuses on supply-chain-related issues of operating nuclear power reactors and those progressing towards nuclear licence application or are under construction in NEA member and partner countries. The WGSUP aims to facilitate an active and timely exchange of commendable practices, information on specific challenges and emerging risks like CFSI, as well as lessons learned to help regulators perform these functions more effectively and efficiently.

Objectives

The WGSUP will collect and analyse information to: 

  • leverage national regulatory resources, and share vendor inspection information and experience to support and enable regulators to verify the quality of the supply chain and its products and services;
  • share vendor inspection practices among regulators;
  • facilitate the adoption of good vendor oversight practices by national regulators;
  • focus the attention of regulators, licensees and vendors on areas of emerging risk;
  • focus licensee and vendor oversight on effective supply chain performance;
  • focus licensees’ and vendors’ attention on positive nuclear safety culture expected within the supply chain;
  • maximise the use of the results obtained from other regulators’ efforts; and
  • continue to learn from the similarities and differences between national regulators’ quality management system requirements and utilise the information to improve regulators’ own requirements.

Working methods

The WGSUP will:

  • be led by a Bureau (consisting of a Chair and at least one Vice Chair) designated and acting according to the OECD guidelines;
  • organise, on a regular basis, meetings, workshops and conferences;
  • conduct, as appropriate and in line with former approaches of the Multinational Design Evaluation Programme (MDEP), joint international inspections or audits at supplier facilities; and
  • report to the CNRA and assist the Committee with its work. The WGSUP programme of work is approved by the CNRA.

In carrying out its tasks, the WGSUP may draw on lessons learned from other areas relevant to nuclear safety.

Membership

The WGSUP is comprised of senior international experts from regulatory bodies and TSOs.

Interactions

The WGSUP will closely co-ordinate with and exchange input with other NEA bodies, especially other CNRA working groups. WGSUP will also work closely with the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) to deeply investigate specific technical or organizational issues that are identified during its analysis.

WGSUP will co-ordinate as appropriate with other international organisations (e.g. IAEA, the European Commission) and international non-governmental organisations (e.g. WANO) and will aim to leverage the collective knowledge of its members to guide the activity of key stakeholders (e.g. IAEA, WNA).

The WGSUP will consider to engage with a number of organizations (e.g. COG, CRIEPI, EPRI and WANO) based on the existing Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between these organisations and the NEA.  In consistence with the MoUs, these organizations may be invited to participate in the activities of the WGSUP as appropriate.

Deliverables

The WGSUP will produce guidance documents for nuclear safety regulators and other stakeholders interested in commercial nuclear power.  Examples include, but are not limited to, proceedings of seminars and workshops, collections of commendable practices implemented by regulatory bodies, case studies, and summaries of operating experience.