NEA Mandates and Structures

Expert Group on a Holistic Process for Decision Making on Decommissioning and Management of Complex Sites (HDCS)

Mandate (Document reference):

• Revised mandate of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management approved under the written procedure on 11 January 2019 by the CDLM members [NEA/DLM(2018)3] and on 20 March 2019 by the Steering Committee members [NEA/NE(2019)8]
• The Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management Statement [NEA/DLM(2021)6/FINAL]
• Sub-Group Reporting to the Parent Committee [NEA/CDLM/RWMC(2019)2]
• Summary Record of the First Meeting of the Expert Group on a Holistic Process for Decision Making on Decommissioning and Management of Complex Sites (HDCS) on 09 December 2021 [forthcoming]
• Summary Record of the Fourth Meeting of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management on 16 March 2022 [forthcoming]
• Mandate of the Expert Group on a Holistic Process for Decision Making on Decommissioning and Management of Complex Sites (HDCS) [NEA/DLM(2022)4/FINAL]

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from the document NEA/DLM(2022)4/FINAL

Background

Building upon the work of the former Expert Group on Legacy Management (EGLM), the Expert Group on a Holistic Process for Decision Making on Decommissioning and Management of Complex Sites (HDCS) was created on 25 June 2020 as a third-level body of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management (CDLM). Based on discussions presented at the Fourth Meeting of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management, the CDLM recommends  extending the mandate of the HDCS.

Scope

The HDCS will develop a holistic process for decision making and provide guidelines to allow an integral progression from recognition to resolution to decommission and manage complex sites.

Objectives

 The HCDS will:

1) Provide advice on the preparation of a reliable, effective and efficient process that identifies, assesses, controls and manages risk(s) associated with decommissioning and legacy management of complex sites; and

2) Develop guidelines and identify key decisions required to implement such a process.

To this end, the HDCS will:

i. Collect and analyse feedback about the management of complex sites under decommissioning and remediation to identify how priorities are defined and addressed in the framework of the site strategy ensuring consistency with national strategies;

ii. Capture the feedback and recommendations provided by existing materials, including the former NEA Expert Group on Legacy Management (EGLM), related workshops, networks and publications.

iii. Learn from additional test cases on how processes could be improved.

iv. Document the challenges and procedures to be considered and implemented to solve complex site situations, based on a holistic process for decision making.

Working methods

The mode of operation of the HDCS is based upon annual plenary meetings and an ongoing, project-oriented working programme, including experience sharing through case studies and topical workshops.

A Bureau consisting of the Chair and one or more Vice-Chairs will coordinate and facilitate the work of the HDCS. The Bureau will meet once or twice a year, with one meeting normally held in conjunction with the annual HDCS plenary meeting. 

Communication within the HDCS will primarily take place through annual plenary meetings. The plenary meeting will be devoted to the following:

• exchange of information on recent developments in the member countries;
• in-depth discussions of current developments and  topical issues, whereby additional specialists may also be invited;
• identification of main lessons to be reported to the CDLM, including organising topical sessions at the CDLM plenary meetings; and
• discussion and co-ordination of the working programme.

The HDCS will report to the CDLM, or to the relevant second-level working party, should such be created, at the annual meetings of the parent body.

Additionally, the HDCS will: (i) identify resources and schedules for its activities; (ii) form task teams to work on specific projects and organise workshops, as appropriate; and (iii) review the working programme and its effectiveness.

In fulfilling its Mandate, the HDCS will primarily be supported by the staff of the NEA Division of Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning.

Membership

The HDCS is a task-oriented expert group. It aims for a composition that includes a diverse range of experts in the field of decommissioning and legacy management, nominated by the member organisations of the CDLM. This representation will be wide-ranging including policy makers, regulators, implementers, and decommissioning specialists in legacy management.

Interactions

The work of the HDCS is complementary to that of the IAEA and the European Commission; HDCS will co-operate with its relevant counterparts and will provide relevant input to the activities of these institutions, as appropriate.

Through the CDLM and the NEA Secretariat, the HDCS will co-operate with other CDLM bodies, as appropriate, such as the Regulators' Forum (RF) and the Working Party on Technical, Environmental and Safety Aspects of Decommissioning and Legacy Management (WPTES). It will also cooperate with other NEA standing technical committees and their subsidiary bodies when relevant, in particular, those of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) and the Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health (CRPPH).

The HDCS may also co-operate with the NEA Co-operative Programme for the Exchange of Scientific and Technical Information Concerning Nuclear Installation Decommissioning Projects (CPD), the OECD Environment Directorate, and other international organisations on matters of common interest.

Deliverables

The expert group will produce a report with the support of the Secretariat.