SPECIAL PANEL SESSIONS

Please refer back for updates.

PANEL SESSION - 1: Opening Session

The Opening Session will begin Monday morning with the keynote presentations setting the theme for this year’s conference. Coffee will be served in the exhibit hall from 08:00 until the program begins at 9:00. The welcome speakers and keynote speakers, to date are:

PLENARY SPEAKERS & HONORARY CO-CHAIR’S:

Dr. Inés Triay
Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management-DOE (USA)

Hans Forström
Director, Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology-IAEA (AUSTRIA)

Stephen Henwood
Chairman, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (UK)

PANEL SESSION - 2A: HLW, SNF, and TRU Waste Management Cleanup Worldwide - Challenges and Opportunities

PANEL SESSION - 2B: Impacts of the NPP Expansion on HLW, SNF, and TRU Repositories

The continued growth in interest in expanding nuclear power programmes and the continuing challenge of implementing geological disposal are strongly related issues. New nuclear plants may be more acceptable if “the waste problem” is seen to be solved - and thus more effort may be devoted to this task. On the other hand, the urgent need for more, CO2 free electricity may tempt decision makers to downplay the back-end issues. In either case, there may be direct impacts on national disposal programmes and also on the support given to multinational disposal initiatives that may provide small and new nuclear programmes with earlier, more affordable, access to safe and secure repositories.

The panelists will include representatives of national programmes that are expanding or introducing nuclear power and also persons involved in current multinational initiatives.

PANEL SESSION - 3: Hot Topics and Emerging Issues in D&D
This panel will focus on current hot topics and emerging issues in the decommissioning area worldwide.  The topics being considered include critical issues facing D&D, privatization, supply chain issues, disposal issues, cost-effectiveness, loss and retention of skills, and international cooperation and networking.

This panel will focus on current hot topics and emerging issues in the decommissioning area worldwide.  The topics being considered include critical issues facing D&D, privatization, supply chain issues, disposal issues, cost-effectiveness, loss and retention of skills, and international cooperation and networking.  Panelists include: Mr. Richard Mrowicki, Head of Strategy and Business Planning, NDA, (UK); Dr. Michele Laraia, Unit Head, Decommissioning & Environmental Restoration Unit, Waste Technology Section, IAEA, (Austria);  Dr. Charles Miller,  Director, Office of Federal & State Materials and Environmental Management Programs, NRC, (USA);  Mr. Russ Mellor, Director of Nuclear Decommissioning, Sellafield, (UK); Dr. Jas Devgun, Manager, Nuclear Power Technologies, Sargent & Lundy LLC, (USA); Prof. Bernard Kelly, University of Manchester (UK); Dr. David Boath, Vice President Europe+ and Chief Engineer, AM

PANEL SESSION - 11: This Panel Session has been replaced by the YGN Panel Session outlined below.

Codes, Standards and Regulatory Issues for High Level Waste Packaging
This panel will discuss using ASME Codes and Standards and the associated regulatory issues.

ROUND TABLE/PANEL SESSION - 11: Young Generation Network (YGN)

This round table discussion is driven through an issue that YGN members in the UK don’t know where to turn for career advice and feel that there is a glass ceiling for progression dependent on age which we want to investigate. This session will bring together experienced nuclear personnel to discuss their career paths and offer advice to younger members in a relaxed round table environment. The discussion will be started by experienced personnel who have had an interesting career path and younger members who have maybe taken a different route to their careers who could discuss the good and bad points. The round table discussion will be aimed at how we are encouraging and developing the younger generation to reach their potential and if indeed there is a glass ceiling in the UK or elsewhere in the world.

A general YGN Meeting will follow this round table/session to canvass views of the Younger members of the industry, exchange knowledge across companies, and grow the YGN network through the conference attendees. This meeting will be used to share best practice, and develop new ideas to progress the aims and objectives of the YGN in the future.

Agenda: 1) Introductions; 2) Explanation of YGN Aims and Objectives; 3) Discussion on Output of YGN Questionnaire; 4) Sharing of International YGN Activities and Events; 5) Personal Development and Career Progression; 6) Education and Training Initiatives; 7) Communications across the YGN Network; 8) External Communications to wider industry and 9) Future Plans and New Initiatives

Panel Session 13: Emerging Issues in the Management for L/ILW
This panel will focus on strategies for the management of all low and intermediate level waste (L/ILW). Based on experience in different national programs, it will discuss various options and their merits for managing L/ILW. It will consider the definition of different categories of L/ILW and their potential routes for disposal including waste of very low activity, often arising in high volumes as contaminated land or from decommissioning.

Panelists include: Dr. Inés Triay, Assistant Secretary for Environmental Management - DOE, (USA); Mr. Phil Davies, NDA, Head of National Waste Mgmt. Strategy (UK); Mr. Hans Forström, Director, Nuclear Fuel Cycle & Waste Technology - IAEA, (AUSTRIA); Dr. S. D. Misra, Director of Nuclear Recycle Group, BARC, (INDIA); and Mr. Michel Dutzer, Director Industrielle, ANDRA, (FRANCE). Mr. David Bennett, Strategic Policy Manager, Environmental Agency of England and Wales (UK).

PANEL SESSION - 14: International Decommissioning Network

This panel will focus on IAEA’s International Decommissioning Network (IDN). In this session, IDN-involved organizations will be invited to report on their experience in co-operating with the IAEA in the field of decommissioning.  The panel will be introduced by an overview of progress achieved and plans developed under the IDN. Since the IDN is intended to function as a loose “Network of Networks”, other presentations in this session should include work involving bilateral / multinational agreements carried out by non-IAEA organizations which form complementary “Networks”. Active discussion can be expected to ensure dissemination of information about and support for the IDN concept by organizations not involved yet.

Session 14 Panelists include: Staffan Linsdkog, SKI (Sweden); Sean Bushart , EPRI, (USA); Leopold Weil , Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), (Germany); Maria Lindberg, Studsvik UK Ltd, (UK); Doug Metcalfe, Natural Resources Canada, (Canada); and Michele Laraia, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), (Austria).

PANEL SESSION 20 - Global Partnering in International Waste and Cleanup Programs

This panel will provide a global perspective on the status of the clean-up of nuclear legacy sites in the North West and Far East Russia and lessons learned by key participants of the Global Partnership Program.  The speakers will discuss best practice in international cooperation, meeting regulatory requirements and approaches to ensure safe management of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste. The panel will include senior management officials from Russia (Rosatom, Federal Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety, JSCo Zvyozdochka), Canada (DFAIT), France (CEA), the United States (DOE) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.  Speakers in this session will discuss their Global Partnership activities, and explore opportunities for future international collaboration.

Session 20 Panelists (currently confirmed) include: Serge Gas, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (UK); Michael Washer, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, (Canada); Aleksey Maltzev, FSUE Zvyozdochka, (Russia) and Konstantin Kulikov, NIPTB Onega (Russia) .

PANEL SESSION - 23: Current IAEA Activities in Predisposal Management of Radioactive Waste

This panel will focus on Waste Technology Section (WTS) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) which has a dedicated programme focused on waste predisposal activities. The objective of this programme is to strengthen the capability of Member States to properly and safely process and store radioactive waste. A range of activities are included in this programme to provide guidance on selection and implementation of waste management strategies, to provide information and guidance on best practices and technologies for waste minimization, pre-treatment, treatment, conditioning, packaging, transportation and storage, to support research and development on new pre-disposal technologies, etc.  This panel will provide a forum for the exchange of scientific and technical information and guidance on pre-disposal radioactive waste management with focus on current activities. The following topics will be discussed by our panel with an opportunity for interaction with the audience.

Panelists and topics include: Dr. Antonio Morales Leon - Approach to Development of Waste Acceptance Criteria for all Individual Waste Management Steps: Pre-treatment to Disposal; Zoran Drace - Economics of Radioactive Waste Management - Cost Calculations and Approach to Costing of Future Obligations (Liability Assessment); Dr. Antonio Morales Leon - Standardized Methodology for Waste Management Assessments - An optimized approach to establish current and future needs and to select adequate technical options; Dr. Sustanta Kumar - Modular and Mobile Waste Processing Facilities; Zoran Drace - Long-term Storage for L&IL and HL Waste - Technical Considerations; Zoran Drace/Dr. Antonio Morales Leon - Mixed Waste Processing/Storage and Disposal; Dr. Antonio Morales Leon - IAEA Network for Radioactive Waste Characterization - Processing/Storage/Disposal.

PANEL SESSION - 35: The UK Objectives and Strategy for the Management if its Nuclear Legacy

This panel will discuss the Strategy and programme of work relating to the Management of the UK ‘s Nuclear Legacy. The United Kingdom Government has brought together the ownership of the UK public sector civil nuclear liabilities under one body: the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The NDA’s remit covers the former UKAEA licensed sites including Dounreay, Harwell and Winfrith and the former BNG Sites including Sellafield and the Magnox reactors. The NDA’s approach to Strategy development and implementation will be discussed along with the implications for the UK legacy sites and local communities.

PANEL SESSION - 44: Young Generation Network (YGN) Panel

This panel will focus on Young Generation Networks and Professional Development.  The panelists and topics will include Carl Dawson (NDA Graduate Programme Manager) and Craig Morrow (NDA Graduate) on the creation and experiences of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Graduate Scheme; Corhyn Parr (UK YGN Vice Chair) presenting the results of a survey of UK YGN members on attitudes and opinions of the UK Nuclear Industry and Miguel Millan (Spanish YGN) on the Development of the Spanish YGN.

PANEL SESSION - 46: UK NDA and Tier 1 Funding, Contracting, Subcontracting Selection and Arrangements

This workshop will summarize and provide a status report on funding, contracting and the competition programme for the NDA sites. The focus will be to discuss openly with the audience experience, ideas and new lessons that are applicable to the UK.

Panelists include: Mike Hawe, Commercial Director, Magnox North; Keith Case, Commercial Director, Sellafield; David Savage, Programme Manager, Shared Services Alliance; and Ron Gorham, Head of Supply Chain Development, NDA.