INDIAN NUCLEAR REGULATORY BODY (AERB) JOINS MDEP

INDIAN NUCLEAR REGULATORY BODY (AERB) JOINS  THE MULTINATIONAL DESIGN EVALUATION PROGRAMME (MDEP)

On 4 April 2012, India’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) became the first new member in the MDEP since its inception in 2006.

It is expected that the AERB will take an active part in the MDEP, notably in the Codes and Standards Working Group (CSWG), the Digital Instrumentation and Control Working Group (DICWG), the Vendor Inspection Co-operation Working Group (VICWG) and, eventually, one of the specific reactor design working groups. As a full member, it will contribute to the Programme’s strategic decisions in the MDEP Steering Technical Committee and the MDEP Policy Group.

Background information

The Multinational Design Evaluation Programme (MDEP) was launched in 2006 by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) with the aim of developing innovative approaches to leverage the resources and knowledge of national regulatory authorities reviewing new reactor designs. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) acts as the Technical Secretariat for the MDEP. The International Atomic Energy Agency participates in many of the MDEP activities, including the harmonisation efforts.

As of 4 April 2012, MDEP membership includes national regulatory authorities from Canada, China, Finland, France, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. The MDEP pools the resources of these 11 nuclear regulatory authorities for the purpose of 1) co-operating on safety reviews of designs of nuclear reactors that are under construction and undergoing licensing in several countries, and 2) exploring opportunities and potential for harmonisation of regulatory requirements and practices. It also produces reports and guidance documents that are shared internationally beyond the MDEP membership (see related links below).