IRSN extends its cooperation

France's Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has agreed to extend its collaboration with Belgium's Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN) while entering a cooperation agreement with Spanish engineering firm Tecnatom.

France's Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) has agreed to extend its collaboration with Belgium's Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN) while entering a cooperation agreement with Spanish engineering firm Tecnatom.

SCK-CEN director general Eric van Walle (left) and IRSN director general Jacques Repussard following the signing of the new framework agreement (Image: SCK-CEN)

The IRSN announced on 5 November that it has signed a new framework agreement with the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK-CEN). Under this agreement, the two organizations will review and extend for a further five years a scientific collaboration initiated in 2008.

IRSN and SCK-CEN said the collaboration is the basis for continued operation in the field of nuclear safety, radiation protection and nuclear waste management. This may include collaboration in joint studies and projects, the exchange of staff, training and information exchange.

SCK-CEN director general Eric van Walle said, "This framework agreement will be the basis for scientific collaboration agreements between SCK-CEN and IRSN. It confirms the result of years of collaboration between our two institutions and renews the will to move forward on a number of scientific/technical areas that concern us both."

At the same time as signing the framework agreement, IRSN and SCK-CEN signed the first bilateral cooperation agreement under that framework agreement. This bilateral agreement outlines the collaboration between the two organizations on the characterization of irradiated nuclear fuel rods. This work will be carried out under SCK-CEN's REGAL (Rod Extremity and Gadolinia AnaLysis) Program.

Tecnatom collaboration

IRSN has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Spain's Tecnatom for cooperation and promotion of technical and commercial services related to nuclear development worldwide, particularly in China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, South America and Vietnam.

Following the signing of the MoU, IRSN and Tecnatom will share their knowledge on such topics as inspections, qualification, human factors, instrumentation and control, simulators, emergency response, severe accident analysis, training, periodic safety reviews, life extensions and radiological protection.

Tecnatom is an engineering company whose main activity centres on the rendering of inspection and component structural integrity services, the training of operations personnel by means of full-scope simulators and engineering in support of plant operation.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News