The IAEA signed a cooperation agreement with a leading institute that will contribute to a better coordination and more efficient development of its guidelines for nuclear power plants and related publications.
The Practical Arrangements signed with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) will reduce the duplication and harmonize IAEA guidance contained in documents such as Technical Reports, Safety Reports Series and Nuclear Energy Series, and the IEEE publications. The agreement also foresees exchange of information on specific standards and technical guidelines for nuclear power plants.
“One of the important areas of cooperation is related to I&C systems in new and operating nuclear power plants,” said Mikhail Chudakov, IAEA Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Nuclear Energy.
“As both the IAEA and the IEEE will be developing new guidelines on I&C systems, human factors, process computer systems, qualification of electrical and I&C equipment for nuclear power plants, it is very important that those efforts are well coordinated.”
As a major publisher in the nuclear field, the IAEA has had strong cooperation with the IEEE in developing a Nuclear Energy Series publication on accident monitoring systems, a Safety Guide on the design of electrical and instrumentation systems, and reports on design solutions for handling failures in electrical power systems at nuclear power plants.
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is one of the world's largest professional associations dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence. It is a leading developer of international standards that underpin many of today's telecommunications, information technology and power-generation products and services.
Signing the Practical Arrangements on behalf of the IEEE, Managing Director Konstantinos Karachalios said their Europe Office was expected to open in Vienna in December 2016. “This will allow closer cooperation between the IEEE and the IAEA in the field of I&C systems of nuclear power plants,” he added.
The Practical Arrangements signed on 29 September will be in force for the next three years.