NEA Mandates and Structures


Working Group on Operating Experience (WGOE)

Chair(s): Kenneth BROMAN, Sweden
Secretary:  Christopher FONG
(christopher.fong@oecd-nea.org)
Vice-Chair(s): Michael MAQUA, Germany
Maria Luisa GUNTIÑAS, Spain
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
Union of the Electricity Industry (EURELECTRIC)
World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO)
Date of creation:31 July 2005
End of mandate:31 December 2022

Mandate (Document reference):

  • Recommendations to CSNI for Future Activities [SEN/SIN(82)50]
  • Recommendation to CSNI from Report of the Task Group Reviewing the Activities of the Principal Working Group 1 (PWG1)  [NEA/SEN/SIN/WG1(94)5]
  • Summary Record of the 28th Meeting of the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) [NEA/SEN/SIN(2001)1]
  • Summary Records from the 2005 Summer Meeting of the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) [NEA/SEN/NRA(2005)3] and the 37th Meeting of the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) [NEA/SEN/SIN(2005)3]
  • CNRA Operating Guidelines, June 2006 [NEA/CNRA/R(2006)3]
  • Summary Record of the 17th Annual Meeting of the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) [NEA/SEN/NRA(2006)1]
  • Summary Record of the 23rd CNRA meeting [NEA/SEN/NRA(2010)2]
  • CNRA Operating Plan and Guidelines (2011-2016) [NEA/CNRA/R(2011)2]
  • Summary Record of the 37th CNRA meeting [NEA/SEN/NRA(2017)3]
  • Summary record of the 38th Meeting of the CNRA, held on 4-5 December 2017 [NEA/SEN/NRA(2017)/5]
  • 2017-2022 CNRA Operating Plan and Guidelines [NEA/CNRA/R(2017)5]
  • 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

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from document NEA/CNRA/R(2017)5

Introduction

Operating experience is a valuable source of information for improving the safety and reliability of nuclear power plants. The timely application of operating experience lessons learnt from all phases of the nuclear power life-cycle serves to ensure a safe and reliable use of nuclear power.

Mandate

The mandate of the Working Group on Operating Experience (WGOE) is to share experience and knowledge from operating experience. The WGOE performs analysis and provides expert insights from operating experience to reach timely conclusions on trends, lessons learnt and effective responses in the short term to medium term, and to promote proposals for re-assessment of safety, additional research, new or revised regulatory inspection practices, improvements in managing operations and other actions to maintain and improve safety in the longer term.

Objectives

In order to implement this mandate the working group will:

  • Meet periodically to share among its members incident and event information covering trends, significant events, responses and measures taken, and lessons learnt including consideration of, as appropriate, technical, regulatory, and human aspects as well as the interface between safety and security.
  • Meet periodically to review the information from International Reporting System (IRS) and other databases.
  • Promote the development and sharing of improved techniques and methods for the collection, assimilation, review and analysis of incidents.
  • Provide expert insight and analysis capabilities to operating experience, and effectiveness of preventive or corrective actions taken.

Working methods

In terms of working methods, the Working Group will:

  • Constitute a forum of international experts from regulatory bodies and technical support organisations.
  • Organise, on a regular basis, meetings, workshops and conferences.
  • Report to the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) and assist the Committee with its work. The WGOE programme of work will be approved by the CNRA.
  • Support and assist the Committee on Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) with its work.
  • Closely co-ordinate with and provide input to other NEA bodies, in particular the Working Group on Inspection Practices (WGIP).
  • Co-ordinate its work with other international organisations (e.g. IAEA, the European Commission, etc.) and international non-governmental organisations (e.g. WANO, etc.).