Press release
Paris, 27 June 1997
Mr Luis Echávarri, of Spain, who was appointed by OECD Secretary-General Donald Johnston on 11 April last as Director-General of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), will take up his duties on 1st July. He succeeds Dr. Kunihiko Uematsu, of Japan.
Before joining the NEA, Mr. Echávarri was Managing Director of the Spanish Nuclear Industry Forum. Previously, he held several senior positions, as Technical Director and then Commissioner, at the Spanish Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Mr. Echávarri spent several years at the Madrid Westinghouse Electric nuclear office, and was later appointed Manager of the Lemóniz, Sayago and Almaraz nuclear power plants.
He has represented Spain in many international fora including the NEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Union (EU). He holds a degree in industrial engineering, including applied nuclear physics and chemistry, and a masters degree in information sciences from Madrid University.
Mr. Echávarri, 48, is married and has two children.
About the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency
The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is a semi-autonomous body within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), located in the Paris area in France. The NEA membership currently consists of 33 countries across Europe, America and the Asia-Pacific region. The objective of the Agency is to contribute to the development of nuclear energy as a safe, environmentally acceptable and economical energy source through co-operation among its participating countries. The Agency pursues this objective through a balanced programme addressing key issues such as nuclear safety technology and regulation, radioactive waste management and decommissioning, radiological protection, economics and technology of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear science, nuclear law and liability and public information. The NEA Data Bank offers scientific services to a wide range of users in laboratories, industry and universities within and outside the OECD area. The NEA works closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna – a specialised agency of the United Nations – and with the European Commission in Brussels. Within the OECD, there is close co-ordination with the International Energy Agency and the Environment Directorate, as well as contacts with other directorates, as appropriate.
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