The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) is playing a leading role in the first ever virtual International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mission this month.
The virtual mission to Lithuania is being conducted via the IAEA’s International Regulatory Review Service and will explore the feasibility of using modern communications tools for future missions.
The mission is being led by ONR’s Technical Director Dr Anthony Hart and supported by Superintending Inspector Colin Tait. Other countries taking part in the mission include Canada, Pakistan, Finland and the Netherlands.
The mission will look at how well IAEA’s safety requirements are implemented within the Lithuanian regulatory framework and support the country’s decommissioning and waste management programmes.
Dr Anthony Hart, said: “It’s a real honour to have been asked to lead the IAEA’s Mission to Lithuania and shows how highly regarded ONR is among the international community.
“I was a member of the team that took part in Lithuania’s original mission back in 2016 and look forward to leading this follow-up mission and see the improvements the Lithuanian regulators have made in response to our findings.”
The virtual mission will involve daily team meetings using WebEx, plus emails, phone and WhatsApp for direct communication between the mission team and the Lithuanian regulators.
A summary of the mission’s findings will be published on the IAEA website. Learning from conducting this first ever virtual mission will help the IAEA in other missions that have needed to be delayed due to the Covid19 pandemic and are now to be conducted virtually.