Working groups

 

Members of INLA are encouraged to participate in any of the specialised Working Groups within which they can pursue the study of topics of mutual interest and contribute to the preparation of collective reports to the next biennial congress.

Working Group 1 – Safety and Regulation

Scope of Activities:

Working Group 1 concerns itself with Safety and Regulation.  In the wider sense, it looks at:

  • Safety;
  • The licensing of nuclear power plant, both in their construction, operation and decommissioning phases;
  • Environmental concerns;
  • Issues relevant to the licensing, commercial arrangements or financing of nuclear power plants; and
  • The establishment of nuclear laws in countries that are new to nuclear.

As a group, we work collaboratively on joint projects and are currently working on a project concerning laws around the world, dealing with the political closure of nuclear power plants.

Membership is open to any INLA member and we try to hold two membership meetings per annum, but are always flexible to members joining meetings by telephone, acknowledging transport is not always possible to our meetings for all participants.

Our linkeding group created to promote interchange and share information among our members:

https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13577438

Chairperson:
Mr. Ian Salter
Ian.Salter@Burges-Salmon.com
Secretary:
Mr R Kuyler
kuylerr@westinghouse.com

Working Group 2 – Nuclear Liability and Insurance

Scope of Activities:

Meetings are organised at least once a year to exchange on latest national and international developments with regard to nuclear liability and insurance. Distribution of papers and published articles written by the members.

Organisation of meetings to address cross-cutting issues with other INLA working groups, such as WG5 (Waste Management) and WG7 (Transport).

The WG is conceived as a place for interchange of views and experiences among the different areas and countries. The topics for study and discussion are selected following the proposals of the group members and initiative of the chair and vicechairs.

Nuclear liability is a special third party liability regime adopted by most countries that have developed nuclear power to compensate victims in case of a nuclear accident, based on the principles reflected on the international nuclear liability conventions. The group examines nuclear liability issues from different perspectives, including, but not limited to:

  • latest developments related to the international nuclear liability conventions,
  • latest developments related to national nuclear liability legislations,
  • applying nuclear liability to commercial contracts (whether new build, equipment or services supply, transport…),
  • information on nuclear liability insurance coverage,
  • outcomes from international workshops or conferences.

The members come from different backgrounds: operators, suppliers, international organisations (governmental or NGOs), private practice, Government, private consultants, academic, insurance sector.

INLA members interested in this topic are welcome to join the group and to actively contribute to our discussions.

Membership information:

The members come from different backgrounds: operators, suppliers, international organisations (governmental or NGOs), private practice, Government, private consultants, academic, insurance sector.

INLA members interested in this topic are welcome to join the group and to actively contribute to our discussions.

North American Region
Co-Chairperson:
Mr. William Horin
wallynhorin@gmail.com
Secretary:
Mrs Fiona Geoffroy
fiona.geoffroy@edf.fr
Rest of the world
Co-Chairperson:
Ms Ximena Vásquez-Maignan
ximena.vasquez-maignan@whitecase.com

Working Group 3 – International nuclear trade / New Build

Objectives:

The objectives of INLA Working Group 3 are to enhance the knowledge of, and provide a forum for discussion and analyses among, members of INLA on the topics of international nuclear trade and nuclear new build projects, including (among others) issues related to programme and project development, finance, contracting, regulation, export and import controls, risk assessment and risk management, human resource development, and operational readiness.

Scope of activities:

The focus of INLA’s Working Group 3 is international nuclear trade and nuclear new build in both new entrant and established programmes. The group evaluates project experience and industry trends, assesses key obstacles and risks facing participants in such projects, and develops new lines of legal scholarship to address the increasingly complex risk matrix characteristic of the global nuclear new build programme.

Specifically, the focus of INLA’s Working Group for the next year shall be:

  • The implications of industry developments (vendor failures and project experience) for project and enterprise risk management;
  • The financial and human resource requirements for new build projects;
  • Alternative contracting models;
  • Power sales and market risk mitigation; and
  • SMR development and licensing.

Membership information:

Membership is open to any INLA member and we try to hold our membership meetings quarterly, both face-to-face or by telephone/video conference.

Each member of INLA’s Working Group 3 is encouraged to join a subgroup focused on the topics above and work with the group to prepare reports for the 2018 INLA Congress.

If you are interested in becoming a member of the group, please contact Magda Hanebach (magda.hanebach@gowlingwlg.com) and Vanessa Jakovich (vanessa.jakovich@freshfields.com).

Chairperson:
Mr William E. Fork
william.fork@pillsburylaw.com
Secretary:
Mrs. Vanessa Jakovich
vanessa.jakovich@freshfields.com

Working Group 4 – Radiological protection

Scope of Activities:

As the protection of people against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation is the central objective in dealing with nuclear substances nuclear law must ensure that appropriate regulation on radiation protection is in place. Therefore, although radiation protection is a question of physics in the first place radiation protection law has to play its role in our association.

Radiation protection refers to a broad range of applications and/or fields. Radiation protection is needed e.g. in the nuclear and non-nuclear industry, in the medical as well as in the research oriented field, and is also needed in places where higher concentration of radioactivity naturally occurs like in radon prone areas. Hence, radiation protection covers the protection of people, patients and workers.

This variety of important issues have to be accompanied by a legal framework addressing inter alia public health, labour and environmental law questions. This rich legal framework forms the field of activity for Working Group No 4 on the national, European and international level.

After several years of low interest within the AIDN/INLA community Working Group  No 4 had a restart some years ago. We try to meet on the occasion of the international AIDN/INLA congresses. Meetings of the Board of Management together with chairpersons of the Working groups have also proved to be a convenient way to meet as a working group. In future the interesting topics will hopefully attract more radiation protection „aficionados“ amongst the nuclear lawyers of AIDN/INLA.

Chairperson:
Mr. Mark Sanders
mark@sandersengineering.us

Working Group 5 – Waste management

Scope of Activities:

Regular meetings, studies of compared law, elaboration of synthesis papers. Think-tank, forum of discussion and presentation of the main legislative proposals in radioactive waste management.

Management of Spent Fuel and Radioactive Waste in a wide sense:

  • safety,
  • sustainability, responsibility towards future generations,
  • public information and participation (in particular in the site selection for repositories),
  • financing,
  • ethical and environmental concerns,
  • particular situations: legacy waste, NORM, etc. (if so requested by the group).

Membership information:

The members come from different areas: waste management organizations, regulators, Government, private consultants, academic. The WG is conceived as a place for interchange of views and experiences among the different areas and countries. The topics for study and discussion are selected following the proposals of the group members and initiative of the chair and vicechairs.

We encourage the active participation in the group. We welcome nuclear lawyers and also professionals with technical background showing interest for nuclear law.

Chairperson:
Ms. Nuria Prieto Serrano
nprs@enresa.es
Secretary:
Ms. Alexandra van Kalleveen
kalleveen.van@gmail.com

Working Group 6 – Nuclear Security and Non-Proliferation

Working Group on Nuclear Security and Non-Proliferation (WG NSNP) – Scope of Activities:

For the purpose of its activities, the WG NSNP considers:

  • Nuclear security as the prevention of, detection of, and response to, criminal or intentional unauthorized acts involving or directed at nuclear material, other radioactive material, associated facilities, or associated activities.
  • Nuclear non-proliferation as the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons and related technology. Nuclear non-proliferation includes related verification activities such as nuclear safeguards.

In addition, the WG NSNP looks into synergies between nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security but also explores topics that are specific to the two areas.

Objectives of the WG NSNP:

The Working Group on Nuclear Security and Non-Proliferation (hereinafter WG NSNP) aims at:

  • encouraging, within the membership of the International Nuclear Law Association, the exchange of knowledge on legal issues in the nuclear security and non-proliferation fields;
  • developing analysis on legal issues in the nuclear security and non-proliferation fields, including possible ways to support and strengthen the related legal and regulatory frameworks.
Chairperson:
Mrs Sonia Drobysz
nprs@enresa.es
Secretary:
Mr Sylvain Fanielle
s.fanielle@gmail.com
  Co-Secretary:
Mr Jonathan Herbach
jonherbach@hotmail.com

Working Group 7 – Transport

Objectives:

  • Purpose & aims: Bring together participants from variety of backgrounds linked to transport industry (legal, insurance, regulators, trade bodies, govt) to highlight, analyse and advise on/provide practical solutions to legal & related issues affecting the industry (e.g. salvage insurance gap, denial of shipments, residual liability outside of scope of nuclear conventions etc.)
  • Alignment: The Chair to work to ensure work of WG7 is aligned with other international organisations having a focus on nuclear transports (WNTI, NEA, IAEA, WPNLT, BIMCO, WNA)
  • Common Transport Terms: The WG7 to review transport terms with intention of producing a paper recommending a model set of terms to be used as a common basis for global nuclear transport contracts – currently there is a lack of clear understanding in the transport industry as to what is required in contracts to address nuclear specific liability and insurance coverage issues
  • Endorsement/Approval: WG7 to examine possibility of having such terms endorsed/approval by relevant bodies (e.g. INLA, WNTI, NEA, IAEA, WPNLT, BIMCO, WNA) that would provide the transport industry the confidence and assurance to make use of such model terms.
  • Future papers: WG7 to promote industry discussion and cooperation to develop written papers highlighting relevant issues with potential solutions & “food for thought”.
Chairperson:
Mr. Khalil Bukhari
Khalil.Bukhari@ntsglobal.uk
Secretary:
Mr. Jean Denis Treillard
jean-denis.treillard@elini.net

Working Group 8 – Nuclear Fusion

Scope of Activities:

Our activities are centered on the legal, regulatory and policy aspects of nuclear fusion. In order to secure long-term political support, investment and international collaboration that nuclear fusion’s worldwide commercialization will require, we will work and consult with stakeholders in the fusion arena on a viable proposal for the international regulation of nuclear fusion, pursuing forward-looking, ex ante regulation compared to the reactive, ex post regulation of fission.

Chairperson:
Mr Karoly Tamas Olajos
karoly.olajos@f4e.europa.eu
Co-Secretary:
Mr Philipp Sauter
sauterp@mpil.de
  Co-Secretary:
Mr Manuel Torres
mtorresbalao@gmail.com