The 146th session of the OECD NEA Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy took place in Paris on 25-26 October 2023

The 146th session of the OECD's Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Steering Committee for Nuclear Energy was held in Paris on 25-26 October 2023, with the active participation of the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority. During the meeting, member states reviewed the various options for NEA’s engagement with Ukraine and Africa and the impact of the suspension of the participation of the Russian Federation in the NEA. A status report was given on the work of the NEA Task Group on Improving the Gender Balance in the Nuclear Sector, on the work of the Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health, including radiation protection policies and regulatory regimes, review of their application, examination of the radiation protection challenges related to small modular reactors (SMRs), issues related to the management of food safety in the event of a nuclear accident, and on NEA major events.

On the second day of the meeting, participants reviewed the human resources challenges affecting the future of the nuclear energy sector, as well as related training and education initiatives of the European Commission and the NEA. Representatives from France, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States presented the challenges they face in areas of knowledge management, nuclear skills and education and the main directions of their strategies and activities to address them. Participants agreed that the NEA should continue to monitor the evolution of the nuclear sector's workforce needs in order to address the challenge in a structured way and to develop joint efforts.

The next OECD NEA Steering Committee meeting will take place in Paris on 18-19 April 2024.