The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) was a key contributor to the fortnight-long convention, which is held in Vienna on a triennial basis, and brings together a range of signatory nations, known as Contracting Parties.
A number of overarching themes were identified at the convention, which each Contracting Party will be required to provide an update on at the 2028 meeting, these include:
- Emergency preparedness: response to natural and human-made events;
- Financial, human resources and knowledge management for sustainable radioactive waste and spent fuel management;
- Safe management of waste streams from new technologies;
- Public engagement in the safe management of radioactive waste, disused sealed sources, and spent fuel; and
- Monitoring the condition of spent fuel, radioactive waste and disused sealed sources in long-term storage.
The summary report also highlights the progress that has been made globally in the field of spent fuel and radioactive waste management, with 21 areas of ‘good practice’ and 208 areas of ‘good performance’ recognised globally across the Contracting Parties.
The UK was recognised for two areas of ‘good practice’, including ONR and the Environment Agency’s groundbreaking approach to artificial intelligence (AI) regulation through regulatory sandboxing.
This innovative approach provides both industry and regulators with a controlled environment to explore and consider AI deployment methods that enhance safety, security and environmental protection.
The second was for the establishment of the Nuclear Skills Executive Council and Nuclear Skills Taskforce to tackle future capability needs as a national endeavour.
The convention also recognised 15 areas where the UK demonstrated ‘good performance’.
Examples include the Chief Nuclear Inspector’s themed inspection on climate change, the delicensing of the Imperial College Reactor Centre, ONR’s openness and transparency policy, and the development of a model for the assessment of safety culture in industry by the Alliance Manchester Business School.
The ONR team which supported the UK delegation included Chief Executive and Chief Nuclear Inspector Mark Foy, who delivered the UK report alongside the Environment Agency’s Chief Regulator, Jo Nettleton, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s Group Chief Nuclear Strategy Officer, Clive Nixon.
The report highlighted and proposed current and future decommissioning priorities for the UK and updated on ongoing work to address challenges identified at the previous review meeting in 2022.
Further information about the Joint Convention, and its role and objectives, is available on the ONR website.
