The potential role of small modular reactors (SMRs) in reaching net zero emissions, Africa’s developing nuclear sector, the challenges of nuclear fuel supply, and collaboration with Ukraine were among the subjects discussed during the 147th session of the NEA Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy. Held on 18-19 April in Paris, this meeting brought together NEA member countries to delve into the issues they are facing in their domestic and international nuclear energy policies.
Chaired by Dr Marta Žiaková from the Slovak Republic Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy reviews the critical pillars of the NEA’s programme of work and co-operative activities on a biannual basis. The Committee serves as the top governing entity of the NEA and guides the Agency's activities to align them with the priorities of its member countries.
The Director-General of the Nuclear Energy Agency, William D. Magwood, IV, delivered opening remarks to the Agency’s member countries, highlighting the NEA’s important activities and developments over the past six months. These included its work on improving stakeholder engagement, developing SMRs to help achieve net zero, and the commencement of the NEA-Ukraine Visiting Experts Programme, which has seen the arrival of nuclear energy experts from Ukraine’s safety regulator to the Agency.
The Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy is currently chaired by Dr Marta Žiaková from the Slovak Republic Nuclear Regulatory Authority (pictured second from right).
The Director-General highlighted the NEA’s increasing collaboration with African countries, a growing number of which are considering nuclear energy as an important component of their energy strategies. Director-General Magwood briefed delegates on the new “Common Journey” initiative, a joint initiative with the OECD Development Centre, which will see the NEA engage with African countries to facilitate the establishment of frameworks that create opportunities for sustainable economic development through nuclear energy policy.
Global geopolitical tensions have led the NEA to work closely with its member countries to examine how radiological protection protocols work in situations of armed conflict. A recent workshop in Oslo, Norway was highlighted as a significant step in the closer examination of this topic.
Improving gender balance in the nuclear sector continues to be an important area of work for the NEA. Dr Fiona Rayment, Chief Science and Technology Officer for the United Kingdom’s National Nuclear Laboratory and Chair of the High-Level Group on Improving Gender Balance in the Nuclear Sector (HLG-GB), provided an update on the groups’ progress and plans following last year’s successful work, which saw the OECD member countries adopt a recommendation on attracting, retaining and advancing more women in the sector.
NEA member countries also expressed a commitment to further improving stakeholder engagement, particularly with members of the public. A number of NEA committees and initiatives are dedicated to identifying ways to strengthen stakeholder engagement in the nuclear sector. The NEA recently formed the NEA High-Level Group on Stakeholder Engagement, Trust, Transparency and Social Sciences (HLG-SET) and the Chair of the group, Ms Rumina Velshi, former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), presented an update on the planned programme of work.
Dr Umeki Hiroyuki, Executive Director of the Nuclear Waste Management Organisation of Japan (NUMO), and Chair of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC), then updated the Steering Committee on the latest work and areas of focus of the RWMC. The management of radioactive waste remains of great importance to NEA member countries and new scientific evidence and technologies are frequently discussed within NEA working groups and committees. Further exploratory discussions will be held on this topic at the upcoming 7th International Conference on Geological Repositories (ICGR-7), which will be held in Busan, Korea, in May 2024.
The potential role of SMRs in reaching net zero emissions, Africa’s developing nuclear sector, the challenges of nuclear fuel supply, and collaboration with Ukraine were among the subjects discussed during the 147th session of the NEA Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy.
During, the second day of discussions, delegates were briefed on the challenges to nuclear fuel supply, including high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). A panel discussion, featuring executives from the uranium mining sector, gave delegates the opportunity to learn more about the potential difficulties of securing fuel and how this may affect plans to deploy SMRs.
The Steering Committee was briefed on the upcoming programme of work and the Agency’s flagship events, including the Joint Workshop on Initiatives of Low-Dose Research Co-ordination (June), Roadmaps to New Nuclear (September), Accelerating SMRs for Net Zero (September), the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (September), the International Radiological Protection School (August) and the International School of Nuclear Law (August).
NEA member countries will convene for the next Steering Committee in October 2024.
