NEA Mandates and Structures


Expert Group on a Holistic Process for Decision Making on Decommissioning and Management of Complex Sites (HDCS)

Chair(s): Patrice FRANCOIS, France
Secretary:  Alexia MERCIER
(alexia.mercier@oecd-nea.org)
Vice-Chair(s): Paul MCCLELLAND, Canada
Ian BARRACLOUGH, Norway
Frank WIGLEY, United Kingdom
Ming ZHU, United States
Member(s):All NEA member countries*
Russia (Suspended*)
*Russian Federation suspended pursuant to a decision of the OECD Council.
EU participation: The European Union (EU) takes part in the work of the NEA, in accordance with the NEA Statute and the Supplementary Protocol to the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Observer(s)(International Organisation): International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
By agreement
Date of creation:25 June 2020
End of mandate:30 June 2025

Mandate (Document reference):

  • The Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management Statement [NEA/DLM(2021)6/FINAL]
  • Sub-Group Reporting to the Parent Committee [NEA/CDLM/RWMC(2019)2]
  • Mandate of the Expert Group on a Holistic Process for Decision Making on Decommissioning and Management of Complex Sites (HDCS) 2022-2024 [NEA/DLM(2022)4/FINAL]
  • Summary Record of the Bureau Meeting of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management on 31 January 2024 [NEA/DLM/M(2024)4/PROV]
  • Summary Record of the Exceptional Working Meeting of the Expert Group on a Holistic Process for Decision Making on Decommissioning and Management of Complex Sites (HDCS) on 6-7 February 2024 [NEA/DLM/M(2024)2/FINAL]
  • Summary Record of the Sixth Meeting of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management on 20 March 2024 [NEA/DLM/M(2024)5/PROV]
  • Mandate of the Expert Group on a Holistic Process for Decision Making on Decommissioning and Management of Complex Sites (HDCS) [NEA/DLM/M(2024)4/FINAL]

Mandate (Document extract):

Extract from the document NEA/DLM(2024)4/FINAL

Background

Building upon the work of the former Expert Group on Legacy Management (EGLM), the Expert Group on a Holistic Process for Decision Making on Decommissioning and Management of Complex Sites (HDCS) was created on 25 June 2020 as a third-level body of the Committee on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations and Legacy Management (CDLM). Based on discussions presented at its sixth meeting, the CDLM recommends extending the mandate of the HDCS to allow for extensive feedback collection on the holistic process at external events, and their integration in its final report.

Scope

The HDCS will develop a holistic process for decision making and provide guidelines to allow an integral progression from recognition to resolution to decommission and manage complex sites.

Objectives

The HCDS will:

  1. Provide advice on the preparation of a reliable, effective and efficient process that identifies, assesses, controls and manages risk(s) associated with decommissioning and legacy management of complex sites; and
  2. Develop guidelines and identify key decisions required to implement such a process.
  3. Collect and integrate external feedback received on the process. 

To this end, the HDCS will:

i. Collect and analyse feedback about the management of complex sites under decommissioning and remediation to identify how priorities are defined and addressed in the framework of the site strategy ensuring consistency with national strategies;

ii. Capture the feedback and recommendations provided by existing materials, including the former NEA Expert Group on Legacy Management (EGLM), related workshops, networks and publications;

iii. Capture the feedback and recommendations provided by other NEA bodies as well as external parties during conferences and meetings and other dissemination events;

iv. Learn from additional test cases on how processes could be improved;

v. Document the challenges and procedures to be considered and implemented to solve complex site situations, based on a holistic process for decision making.

Working methods

The mode of operation of the HDCS is based upon annual plenary meetings and an ongoing, project-oriented working programme, including experience sharing through case studies and topical workshops.

A Bureau consisting of the Chair and one or more Vice-Chairs will coordinate and facilitate the work of the HDCS. The Bureau will meet once or twice a year, with one meeting normally held in conjunction with the annual HDCS plenary meeting. 

Communication within the HDCS will primarily take place through annual plenary meetings. The plenary meeting will be devoted to:

  • exchange information on recent developments in the member countries;
  • in-depth discussions of current developments and of topical issues, whereby additional specialists  from outside HDCS may also be invited;
  • identification of main lessons to be reported to the CDLM, including by organising topical sessions at the CDLM plenary meetings; and
  • discussion and co-ordination of the working programme of the HDCS.

The HDCS will report to the CDLM.

Additionally, the HDCS will: (i) identify resources and schedules for its activities; (ii) form task teams to work on specific projects and organise workshops, as appropriate; and (iii) review the working programme and its effectiveness.

In fulfilling its Mandate, the HDCS will primarily be supported by the staff of the NEA Division of Radioactive Waste Management and Decommissioning.

Membership

The HDCS is a task-oriented expert group. It aims for a composition that includes a diverse range of experts in the field of decommissioning and legacy management, nominated by the member organisations of the CDLM. This representation will be wide-ranging, and includes policy makers, regulators, implementers and specialists in decommissioning and legacy management.

Interactions

Through the CDLM and the NEA Secretariat, the HDCS will co-operate with other CDLM bodies, as appropriate, such as the Regulators' Forum (RF) and the Working Party on Technical, Environmental and Safety Aspects of Decommissioning and Legacy Management (WPTES). It will also cooperate with other NEA standing technical committees and their subsidiary bodies when relevant, in particular, those of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) and the Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health (CRPPH).

The HDCS may also co-operate with the NEA Co-operative Programme for the Exchange of Scientific and Technical Information Concerning Nuclear Installation Decommissioning Projects (CPD), the OECD Environment Directorate, and other international organisations on matters of common interest.

The work of the HDCS is complementary to that of the IAEA and the European Commission; HDCS will co-operate with its relevant counterparts and will provide relevant input to the activities of these institutions, as appropriate.

Deliverables

The expert group will produce a report with the support of the Secretariat, describing the holistic process, presenting the case studies collected, and integrating the external feedback received during dissemination events.