Developing Member State Programmes on the Competencies Needed for a Nuclear Power Programme

Application Deadline for Nominee(s) of Invited IAEA Member States: 1 December 2017

Purpose

The objective of this training course is to foster a dedicated team of instructors in Member States that are in Phase 2 of the development of a nuclear power programme that will implement indigenous training programmes in their respective countries related to the development of competencies needed for a nuclear power programme.

Expected Outputs

The participants of this course will develop indigenous training programmes to provide stakeholders in their respective countries an increased awareness about the activities and competencies needed to support the development of a nuclear power programme.

These training courses are expected to be delivered in each Member State within six months of the conclusion of this course.

Scope and Nature

This course, planned for three weeks, is intended to provide the basis for the development of an indigenous training programme for the participating Member States. The training course will consist of lectures, exercises and curricula development for countries embarking on nuclear power programmes. The training course will be conducted as a series of presentations by IAEA staff, international experts, management and technical specialists of the Argonne National Laboratory, the US nuclear community, and invited participants.

This training course will also provide the opportunity for participants to foster a network to assist with curricula development, as well as provide support prior to the delivery of in-country training programmes.

Overview

The first part of the course will focus on explaining the Systematic Approach to Training as well as introducing the IAEA's Milestones Approach for introducing nuclear power programmes. This introduction will provide a brief overview of all 19 infrastructure issues.

Next, the participants will examine the activities and competencies needed to support the development of a nuclear power programme in the three key organisations – Nuclear Energy Programme Implementing Organisation, regulatory body, and future owner/operator organisation.

Specifically, this course will cover the following topics, separated below by responsible organisation:

Government/NEPIO

• Role of NEPIO in Phase 2
• Development of policies and strategies in Phase 2
• Infrastructure costs
• Overseeing the establishment of a legal framework
• National education review and gap analysis
• National stakeholder involvement and public communication

Regulatory Body

• Independence, legal basis, and core functions
• Regulatory approaches
• Regulations and guides
• Management of the licensing process
• Construction oversight
• Workforce planning for the Regulatory Body
• Stakeholder involvement and public communication for the Regulatory Body

Future Owner/Operator

• Roles and responsibilities of the Owner/Operator
• Ownership options
• Technology assessment
• Specifications for bid or contract negotiation
• Stakeholder involvement for the Owner/Operator
• Workforce planning for the Owner/Operator
• Siting

Finally, the course will conclude with the development of customized training programmes for each Member State that will be implemented by the participants within six months following the conclusion of the course. Since Argonne is located near several nuclear power plants (NPPs), a visit to one NPP may be held (subject to authorization).

Background Information

Developing a nuclear power programme is a major undertaking that involves many complex and interrelated activities. Each nuclear power plant project involves a commitment on the order of 100 years, through construction, operation, decommissioning and waste disposal. Experience suggests that the time from the initial consideration of the nuclear power option by a country to the operation of its first nuclear power plant is about 10–15 years. Activities undertaken during this period include developing the legal and regulatory frameworks, safety and security culture, human resources, and financial and industrial support necessary to ensure that the programme is developed in a safe, secure and peaceful manner.