NEA Mandates and Structures


Working Group on Integrity and Ageing of Components and Structures (WGIAGE)

Chair(s): Jurgen SIEVERS, Germany
Secretary:  Diego ESCRIG FORANO
(diego.escrigforano@oecd-nea.org)
Vice-Chair(s): Carlos CASTELAO LOPEZ, 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
Date of creation:31 December 1999
End of mandate:31 December 2023

Mandate (Document reference):

  • Summary Record of the 28th Meeting of the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) [NEA/SEN/SIN(2001)1]
  • CSNI Operating Plan (2006-2009) [NEA/CSNI/R(2007)7]
  • Summary Record of the 40th Meeting of the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) [NEA/SEN/SIN(2007)1, Item 5]
  • Summary Record of the 47th Meeting of the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) [NEA/SEN/SIN(2010)2]
  • CSNI Operating Plan (2011-2016) [NEA/CSNI/R(2011)2]
  • CSNI Operating Plan (2011-2016) Revision 1 (2013)
  • CSNI Operating Plan (2017-2020) (2017)17]
  • Summary Record of the 61th meeting of the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) [NEA/SEN/SIN(2017)2]
  • CSNI Operating Plan and Guidelines (2017-2022) [NEA/CSNI/R(2017)17]
  • Participant Status of India in the CSNI and its subsidiary bodies: 2018 Update of the NEA Participation Plan [NEA/NE(2018)8], Summary of Decisions taken at the 137th Session of the Steering Committee [NEA/SUM/DEC(2018)2] and official letter received from India on 31 October 2019 confirming its acceptance of Participant Status in the CSNI and its subsidiary bodies

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from document NEA/CSNI/R(2017)17

Mandate

The main mission of the Working Group on Integrity and Ageing of Components and Structures (WGIAGE) is to advance the current understanding of the relevant aspects related with ensuring the integrity of components, systems and structures (SSC), and to propose general principles on the optimal ways of dealing with respective challenges facing operating and new nuclear power plants as well as other nuclear facilities, and to make use of an integrated approach to design safety and plant life management.

The Working Group shall report to the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) and assist that Committee with its work. With prior approval of CSNI, the Working Group shall collaborate with or respond to requests from the CSNI Programme Review Group (PRG) and Working Groups and other NEA bodies or other international organisations.

The Working Group will co-ordinate its work with other working groups, notably with the Working Group on External Events (WGEV) and the Working Group on Risk Assessment (WGRISK) on safety evaluation of seismic hazards and with the Working Group on Electrical Power Systems (WGELEC) on the long-term safety of electrical and Instrumentation and Control (I&C) components.

The Working Group also meets in three ad-hoc subgroups dealing with a) integrity and ageing of metal structures and components, b) integrity and ageing of concrete structures and c) seismic engineering.

The specific mandate is as follows:

  1. The Working Group shall constitute a forum to exchange views, information and experience on generic technical aspects of integrity and ageing of components and structures, and review, as necessary, national and international programmes concentrating on research, operational aspects and regulation.
  2. The Working Group shall stimulate, in relevant technical areas, new research and recommend possible international co-operative projects.
  3. The Working Group shall a) develop technical positions on specific integrity issues of operating and new nuclear power plants covering the entire life cycle; and b) identify areas where further work is needed.
  4. The Working Group shall discuss the potential impact of ageing and other challenges to integrity of SSC on the safety, regulation, and operability of operating and new nuclear power plants as well as of other nuclear facilities.