OECD/NEA

The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is an intergovernmental institution within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Its aim is to promote the safe, environment-sparing and economic use of nuclear energy. Led by the Steering Committee, the NEA has eight technical committees, including the

• Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA), the
• Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) and the
• Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC), as well as the
• Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management (CDLM) and the
• Nuclear Science Committee (NSC – Nuclear Science Committee).

BASE experts from the field of nuclear safety support the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) in its committee work. They are also actively involved in various working groups and projects.

The CNRA Technical Committee:

The CNRA is composed of high-ranking representatives of the regulatory authorities of the member states. It serves to exchange information and experience in the field of nuclear safety, to examine developments that may influence the regulations, and to analyse current licensing and supervisory practice and operating experience.

BASE experts from the field of nuclear safety support the BMUV, which is responsible for the CNRA. They are also members of various CNRA working groups, such as

• Working Group on Reactor Oversight (WGRO),
• Working Group on Digital Instrumentation and Control (WGDIC),
• Working Group on New Technologies (WGNT),
• Working Group on Supply Chain (WGSUP) or
• Working Group on Leadership and Safety Culture (WGLSC).

The CSNI Technical Committee:

The CSNI is composed of international scientists and experts with in-depth experience in various fields of nuclear safety and nuclear technology. It coordinates the activities of the NEA on technical and scientific aspects of the design, construction and operation of nuclear facilities as far as they relate to the nuclear safety of these facilities.

BASE experts from the field of nuclear safety are involved in the CSNI Technical Committee and in various CSNI working groups, such as the

• Working Group on Fuel Cycle Safety (WGFCS),
• Working Group on Human and Organisational Factors (WGHOF) and
• Working Group on Electrical Power Systems (WGELEC).

They are also involved in various projects such as the current NEA FIRE Incidents Records Exchange (FIRE) Project and the NEA High Energy Arcing Fault Events (HEAF) Project.

The RWMC Technical Committee:

The RWMC aims to assist NEA member states in developing safe, sustainable and socially acceptable strategies in the management of all types of radioactive waste. The committee consists of high-level representatives from regulatory authorities, radioactive waste management and decommissioning organisations, policy-making bodies and research and development institutions.

The CDLM Technical Committee:

The CDLM is a forum for international experts to exchange views on aspects of the decommissioning of nuclear facilities, including the management of contaminated sites.

BASE's nuclear safety experts are involved in various CSNI working groups, such as the

• Working Party on Management and Organisational Aspects of Decommissioning and Legacy Management (WPMO) and
• Working Party on Technical, Environmental and Safety Aspects of Decommissioning and Legacy Management (WPTES).

The NSC Technical Committee:

The NSC is made up of international scientists and other experts, including representatives from authorities and industry. It serves, in particular, to identify existing research needs, to coordinate national and international research projects, and to provide information on research projects. The NEA Data Bank is also located within the NSC, and provides the member states with various scientific programmes and databases for different aspects of nuclear safety and research.

Within the NSC, BASE experts participate, among other things, in the Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS), which deals with current aspects and further developments in the field of criticality safety.