The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency at 50 BY GAIL H. MARCUS As the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency celebrates HE OECD NUCLEAR Energy its 50th anniversary, it is appropriate to consider Agency (NEA), which first opened T its doors 50 years ago this month, its contributions over the last half-century, began its existence as a much different en- tity than it is today, and in a different envi- and its prospects for the future. ronment. In the mid-1950s, the Organization for OEEC. This in turn led to a decision by the nings of two other important international, European Economic Cooperation (OEEC), OEEC Council in 1957 to establish the Eu- intergovernmental organizations that are originally chartered to administer the Mar- ropean Nuclear Energy Agency (ENEA) un- still active today: the European Atomic En- shall Plan for the post–World War II recov- der the OEEC. Its statute entered into force ergy Community (Euratom), headquartered ery of Europe, sought to address increasing on February 1, 1958. in Brussels, Belgium, and the International European concerns about an energy supply The original membership of the ENEA Atomic Energy Agency, located in Vienna, shortage. While the United States, which included all 17 countries that were OEEC Austria. Both actually predate the ENEA had funded the Marshall Plan, participated members at the time of the ENEA’s found- slightly, having been established in March in OEEC activities, the organization’s ing: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, and July of 1957, respectively. The three or- membership and focus at that time were West Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, ganizations have distinct but overlapping strictly European. (In 1961, the member- Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Nor- roles, missions, and memberships. A vari- ship of the OEEC would expand and its way, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, ety of coordinating efforts, including par- name would be changed to the Organiza- Turkey, and the United Kingdom. (Spain ticipation in each other’s meetings, joint tion for Economic Cooperation and Devel- was not a member of the OEEC at that time projects, and management reviews, help en- opment. The OECD today has 30 members, but joined the OEEC and the ENEA shortly sure that the efforts of the three organiza- including the United States.) thereafter.) Since this was a European or- tions are complementary. In December 1953, the OEEC Council, ganization, countries in other parts of the the governing body of the OEEC, commis- world were not members. The United States Initial activities of the ENEA sioned a report to identify solutions to Eu- and Canada, however, participated as asso- The earliest activities of the ENEA actu- rope’s energy problems. That report, sub- ciate members. ally preceded the formal establishment of mitted to the council in May 1955, focused The ENEA was designed to provide a the agency. Even as the discussions that on the potential of nuclear energy and high- mechanism for peaceful nuclear coopera- would lead to the formation of the ENEA lighted the importance of European cooper- tion. The agency had three primary objec- were under way, the OEEC Council was ation in this field. In response to this report, tives: the establishment of joint research providing an early response to selected in 1956 the council established a temporary projects; the solution of specific legal prob- needs for work in the nuclear area as they working group and, later, a permanent body, lems related to nuclear energy through the were identified. Targeted committees under the Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy, harmonization of national laws or the adop- the aegis of the OEEC were formed in two to identify potential areas of activity for the tion of regional conventions; and the provi- areas–nuclear liability, and radiation pro- sion of a forum in which the national nuclear tection. Both committees were subsumed Gail H. Marcus (
February 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 27 Group of Governmental Experts on Third by the OEEC Council on July 29, 1960, is United States. The foresight displayed by Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear En- the first of several international instruments the framers of these early instruments in ad- ergy, which first met in January 1958. The that establish clear rules of responsibility dressing issues of nuclear liability in ad- group continued to operate under this name and levels of compensation for damage vance of any incident potentially requiring until October 2000, when the NEA Steer- caused by nuclear activities to ensure equi- compensation is still considered remark- ing Committee finally changed its name table treatment in all countries. Other inter- able. and mandate and it became the Nuclear national treaties and amendments over the The second of these committees, now the Law Committee. years have broadened the applicability and Committee on Radiation Protection and The very first activity of the group, the updated the compensation levels. It should Public Health (CRPPH), was initially estab- drafting of the Paris Convention on Third be noted that the United States is not a party lished by the Steering Committee as a Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear En- to any of these conventions. The 1957 working party in March 1957. In February ergy (the “Paris Convention”), remains as Price-Anderson Amendment to the 1954 1958, this became the Health and Safety perhaps one of its most significant accom- Atomic Energy Act, however, confers sim- Committee (HSC), and in 1973, it finally plishments. The Paris Convention, adopted ilar types of protections for incidents in the took its current name. Since radiation pro-
NEA Timeline: The First 50 Years (1958–2008) Precursors 1948 16 April • Organization of European Economic 1959 Cooperation (OEEC) established 1960 29 July • Paris Convention on Third Party Liability in the 1953 14 December • Secretary-general submits report to OEEC Field of Nuclear Energy adopted by OEEC Council of Ministers on energy supply Council difficulties • Agreement for cooperation signed between 1954 December • United Nations conference on peaceful uses ENEA and IAEA of atomic energy held 14 December • Convention establishing the Organization for 1955 May • Report by Louis Armand citing potential of Economic Cooperation and Development nuclear energy and need for European (OECD) signed in Paris, France cooperation 1961 • OEEC becomes OECD 10 June • Working Party on Nuclear Energy set up Autumn • Prof. J. M. Otero y de Navascues, of Spain, 15 December • Working Party submits its report elected chair of SCNE 1956 29 February • Council of Ministers establishes Special 1962 Committee on Nuclear Energy; four working 1963 31 January • Brussels Convention Supplementary to the parties develop proposals Paris Convention adopted March • Prof. Leander Nicolaidis, of Greece, appointed 1964 • Einar Saeland, of Norway, appointed director- chair of Special Committee on Nuclear Energy general 18 July • Council of Ministers responds to working July • Prof. U. W. Hochstrasser, of Switzerland, parties’ proposals with a series of actions, elected chair of SCNE including the establishment of a Steering • ENEA common services created (Computer Committee for Nuclear Energy (SCNE) Program Library at Ispra, Italy, and Neutron November • Prof. Leander Nicolaidis appointed chair of Data Compilation Center at Saclay, France SCNE • Study Group on Long-Term Role of Nuclear 1957 24 January • Working Group on Harmonization of Energy (NELT) established Legislation established to examine third party 1965 • Japan joins ENEA as associate member liability for damage caused by the peaceful • Committee on Reactor Safety Technology use of nuclear energy (11 members of OEEC (CREST) established join) 1966 21 March • Working Party on Public Health and Safety established by SCNE 1967 June • H. H. Koch, of Denmark, elected chair of SCNE 3 July • Group of Governmental Experts on Third Party 1968 Liability in the Field of Nuclear Energy 1969 April • Prof. Carlo Salvetti, of Italy, elected chair of established by SCNE, replacing former SCNE Working Group (first meeting held 22 January, 1970 1958) 1971 29 July • International Atomic Energy Agency 1972 • Japan becomes a member established 20 April • Name changed from ENEA to Nuclear Energy 20 December • European Nuclear Energy Agency (ENEA) Agency (NEA) established by Council of Ministers’ decision May • Reinhard Loosch, of Germany, elected chair of The First 50 Years SCNE 1958 1 February • ENEA Statute enters into force (all 17 OEEC 1973 • Australia becomes a member members join ENEA); Canada and the United • Committee on Radiation Protection and Public States are associate members; Pierre Huet, of Health (CRPPH) established, replacing HSC France, appointed director-general • Committee on Safety of Nuclear Installations 21 February • Health and Safety Committee (HSC) established (CSNI) established, replacing CREST and • Halden Reactor Project established taking on the regulatory functions of HSC
28 NUCLEAR NEWS February 2008 THE OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY AT 50 tection affects all uses of the atom, not just publication in 1959 of its Radiation Protec- do not survive today. One other enduring power production, the CRPPH and its pre- tion Norms, which helped establish the mea- project, however, is worth mentioning. The decessors have always enjoyed broad par- sures member countries could take to ensure same year that the ENEA was established, ticipation among the NEA’s member coun- adequate protection against the hazards of the Halden Reactor Project in Norway was tries. ionizing radiation. The norms, which had an launched. It quickly became the prototype The initial mandate of the HSC was to de- enduring impact, were replaced in 1981 by for many other joint research projects for velop recommendations for radiation pro- Basic Safety Standards for Radiation Pro- which the ENEA staff, and later, the NEA tection that member countries could apply tection, jointly recommended by the OECD/ staff, served as a technical secretariat. The in their own national legislation. In doing NEA, the IAEA, the International Labor Or- Halden Reactor Project has evolved over so, the forerunners of the CRPPH worked ganization, and the World Health Organiza- the years and is still an ongoing project. Its closely with the International Commission tion and published by the IAEA in 1983 as international collaboration is still coordi- on Radiological Protection. That relation- No. 9 in its Safety Series. nated by the NEA, and it remains the ship continues to this day. One of the earli- Other activities quickly followed the for- NEA’s largest joint research project. Of est achievements of the CRPPH was the mation of the ENEA, including some that equal importance, a number of other joint
1974 1994 • South Korea and Mexico become members 1975 • Canada becomes a member • NEA moves from boulevard Suchet to Issy- • Radioactive Waste Management Committee les-Moulineaux established October • Dr. Jorg Hermann Gosele, of Germany, 1976 • Finland and the United States become elected chair of SCNE members 1995 • Sam Thompson, of the United States, April • Dr. Bo Aler, of Sweden, elected chair of SCNE becomes acting director-general 1977 • I. Williams, of the United Kingdom, appointed 1996 • Czech Republic and Hungary become director-general members • Committee for Technical and Economic October • Christian Prettre, of France, elected chair of Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and SCNE the Fuel Cycle (NDC) established, replacing NELT 1997 • Luis Echávarri, of Spain, appointed director- 1978 • Data Bank established in Saclay, France general 1979 April • Hiroshi Murata, of Japan, elected chair of • High-level advisory group established by SCNE secretary-general to review NEA 1980 • Incident Reporting System (IRS) established 1998 • Report of the high-level advisory group by CSNI for the exchange of information on completed incidents in reactor operations October • Lars Hogberg, of Sweden, elected chair of 1981 SCNE 1982 • Howard Shapar, of the United States, 1999 • First NEA Strategic Plan published appointed director-general 2000 12 October • Nuclear Law Committee (NLC) established, April • Ivor Manley, of the United Kingdom, elected replacing Group of Governmental Experts on chair of SCNE Third Party Liability in the Field of Nuclear 1983 Energy 1984 • Joint NEA/IAEA Uranium Group established 2001 • NEA, IAEA, and World Association of Nuclear 1985 April • Ambassador Richard Kennedy, of the United Operators agree to develop joint Nuclear States, elected chair of SCNE Events Web-based System (NEWS) to transmit 1986 information on nuclear incidents 1987 March • Report titled The Radiological Impact of the Aug/Sept • International School of Nuclear Law (ISNL) Chernobyl Accident in OECD Countries published established jointly with the University of 1988 • Kunehiko Uematsu, of Japan, appointed Montpellier I, Montpellier, France director-general 2002 13 June • Slovak Republic becomes a member 1989 • Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities 2003 October • William Magwood, of the United States, (CNRA) established, splitting off regulatory elected chair of SCNE activities from CSNI 2004 • NEA becomes technical secretariat for the 1990 • International Nuclear Event Scale (INES) Generation IV International Forum (GIF) established by NEA and IAEA to standardize 2005 • First NEA Safety and Regulation Forum reporting of nuclear incidents and accidents conducted to the public April • Jussi Manninen, of Finland, elected acting 1991 • Nuclear Science Committee (NSC) established chair of SCNE April • Dr. Robert Morrisson, of Canada, elected chair October • Jussi Manninen elected chair of SCNE of SCNE 18 November • Information System on Occupational Exposure 2006 • NEA becomes technical secretariat for Stage (ISOE) established 2 of the Multinational Design Evaluation 1992 Program (MDEP) 1993 • Fuel Incident Notification and Analysis System April • Richard Stratford, of the United States, (FINAS) created elected chair of SCNE • First International Nuclear Emergency 2007 • Agreement for cooperation with Russia signed Exercise (INEX) conducted 2008 1 February • 50th Anniversary of NEA
February 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 29 THE OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY AT 50 projects have been conducted over the tually preceded its membership in the OECD of these activities were either initiated years. Many have been completed, but there (1996). It is unusual, however, for an NEA jointly with the IAEA, or have been passed are currently about 20 active joint projects, member not to be an OECD member; Korea on to the IAEA to serve the needs of its the majority of them focusing on safety- is the only country to date where this has oc- much larger membership (currently 144 related research. It is noteworthy that these curred, and at the time that NEA member- countries). These collaborative efforts re- projects included countries that were not ship was offered, it was expected that Korea flect the close working relationship be- ENEA members. would soon thereafter become a member of tween the two agencies and the ways that During the first decade or so of the the OECD. ENEA’s existence, the scope of its work As the member- continued to expand. The important work ship of the NEA ex- in the areas of nuclear liability law, radia- panded, so too did The NEA has produced tion protection, and research continued, but its activities. In re- new programs were started as needs were sponse to emerging numerous studies, reports, identified by member countries through the needs, it established and workshops over the years Steering Committee. The coordination of a number of activi- nuclear data compilation was initiated in ties and products in response to specific events 1964 with the creation of the Neutron Data that remain impor- Compilation Center at Saclay, France. In tant today. Among or needs covering a wide 1978, the activities of this group and the them are the follow- Computer Program Library in Ispra, Italy, ing: range of topics of interest to were merged to create the NEA Data Bank, I The Incident Re- which still exists today. The 1960s also saw porting System, es- the NEA’s member countries. the initiation of efforts to look at broader is- tablished by the sues of nuclear energy development and to NEA’s Committee address reactor safety issues. The study on the Safety of Nuclear Installations in NEA activities, piloted within a small, more group on the long-term role of nuclear en- 1980 for the exchange of information on in- agile group of advanced countries, can later ergy was started in 1964, and the Commit- cidents in reactor operations, now operated be expanded to serve the needs of a larger tee on Reactor Safety Technology in 1965. jointly with the IAEA. and more diverse group of countries. Both committees would evolve further in I The Joint IAEA/NEA Uranium Group, In addition to these activities, all of the 1970s. established in 1984 to produce a periodic which are ongoing or are periodically re- report on uranium resources, production, peated, the NEA has produced numerous Evolution to the NEA and demand, commonly known as the “Red studies, reports, and workshops over the In 1972, Japan became the first country Book” because of the color of its cover. years in response to specific events or needs outside of Western Europe to join the I A series of peer reviews of national ra- covering a wide range of topics of interest ENEA. Japan had previously been a partic- dioactive waste disposal programs, con- to the NEA’s member countries. Several of ipant in the early data bank activities and ducted for member countries upon their re- them have been circulated widely and have had joined the United States and Canada as quest and with their support. become classics in their field. Perhaps one an associate member of the ENEA in 1965. I The International Nuclear Event Scale, of the most prominent examples is the NEA established in 1990 report, The Radiological Impact of the to standardize re- Chernobyl Accident in OECD Countries, porting to the public published in March 1987. Many other NEA Although in general, on nuclear incidents products have also contributed to the under- and accidents, now standing of nuclear technology and to nu- membership in the NEA has operated by the clear policy development around the globe. followed accession to the IAEA. The 1970s also saw the evolution of the I The Information standing committee structure to that which OECD, it is not a requirement System on Occupa- exists in the NEA today. In addition to some tional Exposure, es- of the name changes and reorganizations of that the country be an OECD tablished in the early functions previously noted, other changes 1990s and jointly were made to better reflect not only the member first. sponsored with the work being done, but also the expertise IAEA. needed from the member countries for each I The Fuel Incident activity. Thus, the reactor safety effort was As a result of Japan’s membership, “Euro- Notification and Analysis System, created broadened to reflect all types of nuclear in- pean” was dropped from the agency’s in 1993 and operated jointly with the IAEA. stallations, and still later, the regulatory ac- name, and it became the Nuclear Energy I The International Nuclear Emergency tivities were split off. A committee was Agency. Close on the heels of Japan’s ac- Exercise series, the first of which was con- formed to specifically address the waste cession, Australia joined the NEA in 1973, ducted in 1993. management area, and another committee Canada in 1975, and Finland and the United I The Nuclear Events Web-based System, was established to cover scientific studies. States in 1976. Later, South Korea (1993), to transmit information on nuclear inci- Mexico (1994), Hungary and the Czech Re- dents, initiated jointly by the NEA, the The NEA today public (1996), and the Slovak Republic IAEA, and the World Association of Nu- The NEA today has 28 member countries (2002) would join. clear Operators in 2001. and a staff of about 70 people. (Two OECD Although in general, membership in the I The International School of Nuclear members, Poland and New Zealand, are not NEA has followed accession to the OECD, Law, established jointly with the University members of the NEA.) Its seven standing it is not a requirement that the country be an of Montpellier I, Montpellier, France, in the technical committees operate under the di- OECD member first. In the case of South summer of 2001. rection of the Steering Committee, which Korea, membership in the NEA (1993) ac- It is particularly noteworthy that several in turn reports to the OECD Council, to
February 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 31 carry out the program of work of the ized working groups and expert groups es- of the committee. The NEA has had such agency, assisted by the NEA staff. These tablished by the committees to carry out participation on a number of its committees seven committees are: certain tasks. While the NEA’s staff is very for many years. Russia, in particular, has I Committee on the Safety of Nuclear In- small, about 3600 people a year participate participated actively in several NEA com- stallations. on NEA committees I Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Ac- and their constituent tivities. subgroups, and in its I Radioactive Waste Management Com- workshops and stud- While the NEA’s staff is very mittee. ies. This expanded small, about 3600 people a I Committee on Radiation Protection and circle of experts al- Public Health. lows the NEA to year participate on NEA I Committee for Technical and Economic produce 60–70 pub- Studies on Nuclear Energy Development lications a year, in committees and their and the Fuel Cycle, known as the Nuclear addition to holding Development Committee. numerous meetings constituent subgroups, and in I Nuclear Law Committee. and workshops. I Nuclear Science Committee. In addition to its its workshops and studies. Some of the committees have a number program of work, of standing and temporary subgroups under which is funded from them. The former address various broad and the regular budget of the agency and, mittees, and a March 2007 agreement be- long-term areas of the committee’s man- therefore, by all its members, the NEA tween the NEA and the Russian Federation date, while the latter are instituted from also occasionally undertakes specialized seeks to expand the involvement of Russian time to time to conduct specific, shorter- activities for countries that provide addi- experts to all NEA committees. term tasks. tional funds. Such work must be compati- The relationship with China is newer, and In addition, the NEA operates a data bank ble with its basic mission and must be ap- at present, more limited, but the NEA is that serves as an international reference proved by the Steering Committee. Past currently trying to expand its interactions center for its member countries for basic and current activities include the joint with China. The expectations are that the nuclear tools, such as computer codes and projects that have been conducted over the mutual value of Chinese participation in nuclear data, used in the analysis and pre- years, special peer reviews of waste sites in NEA activities will increase as China’s nu- diction of phenomena in the nuclear field. It several countries, and, most recently, ser- clear power programs grow and as it be- also develops and validates these tools for vice as the technical secretariat for the comes more of a force in the international its members as requested. The data bank Generation IV International Forum (GIF) nuclear marketplace. The initial focus is on has separate membership and funding. and for Stage 2 of the Multinational De- Chinese participation in some of the safety- Twenty-two of the 28 NEA members are sign Evaluation Program (MDEP), two related activities of the NEA. China is al- also members of the data bank. The United important international initiatives started ready a member of the MDEP, for which States, which has its own organization—the in recent years. the NEA is the technical secretariat. Radiation Safety Information Computa- The NEA presently does not have a for- tional Center at Oak Ridge National Labo- Future directions for the NEA mal relationship with India. This lack of in- ratory—to perform similar functions, is not After a successful first half-century, the volvement is a reflection of the policies of a member of the data bank but does coop- NEA is poised to build upon its successes several of its member countries, including erate closely with it. In the mid-1990s, the in the years ahead. It has a well-established the United States, because India is not a sig- NEA moved from its location near OECD and successful modus operandi and enjoys natory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. In- an excellent reputa- dia has not participated in any NEA com- tion for the quality mittees or other activities. At this writing, of its studies and the however, the United States is engaged in an The NEA operates a data effectiveness of its effort to develop an agreement for its own bank that serves as an work. cooperation with India. Should that happen, One of the big together with related actions being re- international reference concerns about the quested of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group, it NEA has been that is likely that the NEA member countries center for its member its membership does would be amenable to NEA cooperation not include several with India. At that time, the NEA would countries for basic nuclear countries with sig- likely seek to involve India in some of its nificant and growing committees and other activities. tools, such as computer nuclear power pro- Another potential development facing grams and active nu- the NEA in the future is the possibility of codes and nuclear data. clear research ef- an expanded membership. On May 21, forts, namely Russia, 2007, the OECD announced its intention China, and India. In to open membership negotiations with headquarters in Paris, France, to its current fact, OECD and NEA policy provides a Chile, Estonia, Israel, Russia, and Slove- location in Issy-les-Moulineaux, just out- mechanism for nonmember countries, and nia. In addition, the OECD will offer en- side Paris. The move allowed the consolida- even on occasion nongovernmental organi- hanced engagement with a prospect of tion of the operations of the data bank, zations, to participate in the work of their membership to Brazil, India, Indonesia, which had been at Saclay, France, an outer committees as observers. The word “ob- China, and South Africa. Finally, candi- suburb of Paris, with the rest of the agency. server” is a bit of a misnomer because the dates for the future enlargement of the Experts from the member countries are only countries and organizations invited to OECD include the remaining EU mem- appointed by their governments to serve on serve in this capacity are ones that are ex- bers: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, NEA committees, as well as on the special- pected to be actively involved in the work Malta, and Romania. If these countries
32 NUCLEAR NEWS February 2008 THE OECD NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY AT 50 become a part of the OECD family, some further work for the agency in these areas, with other international intergovernmental of them—particularly those that already either as part of the continuing efforts of organizations, several key countries outside operate nuclear power plants or that have GIF and MDEP, or in the form of other re- its membership, and major international active plans to do so—will undoubtedly lated activities that could be identified as a nongovernmental organizations. As it be- wish to join the NEA as well. result of the GIF and MDEP efforts, and gins its second half-century of activity, it is Although concerns about the duplication that some countries may wish to support poised to continue to make important con- of efforts between the NEA and the IAEA through supplementary funding. tributions to the international nuclear com- have been raised periodically over the munity and to the governments of its mem- years, a consensus seems to have emerged Looking back and ahead ber countries. The NEA’s workshops and that the two organizations have separate The NEA’s first 50 years has spanned reports will continue to aid its member but related roles. The two organizations most of the history of nuclear power, and countries, as well as other countries, in their have had formal cooperative agreements its activities have covered a wide range of efforts to ensure the safe operation of their for most of their existence. Over the years, issues and areas of interest to its member nuclear facilities, to address long-term is- they have developed strong and mostly countries. Its reports and contributions are sues such as waste disposal, and to make positive cooperative relationships, which highly respected worldwide, and it has de- other important policy decisions relating to include the conduct of a number of joint veloped excellent working arrangements nuclear applications. reports and joint workshops. One well- known example is the Uranium “Red Book,” which has been produced periodi- cally as a joint effort for a number of years. Nevertheless, the two agencies must con- tinue to coordinate closely, because the strong overlap of their interests can easily lead to duplication if not closely monitored at the management level. Substantively, the focus of the NEA’s work is not likely to change dramatically in the coming years. The agency has a well- established, well-respected program in a se- lected number of key areas and a budget that has remained fairly flat in recent years. Therefore, work is likely to continue to fo- cus on those areas. Nevertheless, the work does continue to evolve in a planned and structured way, guided by a strategic plan that covers five-year periods. The practice of developing strategic plans was started in the late 1990s, as a result of a report on the agency produced in 1998 by a high-level advisory group established by the OECD secretary-general the preceding year. The agency is now in the middle of its second five-year strategic plan, covering the period 2004–2009. Throughout its history, one of the hall- marks of the NEA has been its ability to re- spond to changing situations. Its small size and small membership has facilitated that, and it has therefore been able to be respon- sive to new developments and situations. One example is the Chernobyl study men- tioned earlier. Finally, the ability of the NEA to under- take special projects funded outside the regular budget gives it a great deal of flex- ibility to respond quickly to emerging de- velopments and new needs. In that regard, the role it has recently taken as technical secretariat for two relatively new interna- tional initiatives, GIF and MDEP, ensure that it is working on the forefront of two key areas—advanced nuclear reactor de- velopment and international cooperative efforts on licensing. These two areas will be important in the coming years, particu- larly if projections of growth in the use of nuclear power materialize. The NEA’s par- ticipation in these initiatives could lead to
February 2008 NUCLEAR NEWS 33