The head of the International Nuclear Safety Group (INSAG) issued his latest annual global assessment last week. INSAG Chairman Richard Meserve submitted the report on the Group´s behalf to IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei.
Dr. Meserve, who is president of the Carnegie Institution and former head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, will chair the INSAG Forum on key safety issues 17 September at the IAEA General Conference in Vienna. His 2007 annual assessment on the state of nuclear safety worldwide outlines seven issues meriting more attention in the context of global nuclear developments, safety requirements, and the IAEA's role. INSAG provides recommendations to the IAEA, international community, and the public on safety issues and developments. Mr. Meserve is interviewed in the upcoming edition of the IAEA Bulletin.
The INSAG Forum in September will explore two topics - feedback from operational experience at nuclear power plants, and the issue of the synergy between nuclear safety and security. The agenda includes presentations from safety officials in Sweden, France, and Pakistan. Experts from the IAEA Department of Nuclear Safety and Security will present overviews of selected safety services and address key connections between safety and security.
INSAG includes high-level level officials from 15 countries and organizations. The group is composed of experts with high professional competence in the field of safety working in regulatory organizations, research and academic institutions and the nuclear industry. It is convened under the auspices of the IAEA with the objective to provide authoritative advice and guidance on nuclear safety approaches, policies and principles for nuclear installations. In particular, INSAG provides recommendations and opinions on current and emerging nuclear safety issues to the IAEA, the nuclear community and the public.
See Story Resources for the Forum agenda. The Forum takes places at the Austria Center, Hall C, beginning at 15:00 hrs on Monday, 17 September. More information on INSAG is available on their web site.