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Enhanced international collaboration

Enhancing collaboration with our fellow international regulators is essential for the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) to learn from the experience of others. It is also a core element of our Strategy 2020-25.

We are delighted to report that ONR has signed an Information Exchange Arrangement (IEA) with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC).

The IEA is a bilateral agreement between our two organisations which provides a framework for the sharing of information, experience, and good practice to enable both parties to learn from and train each other on technical regulatory issues. It also allows for more effective communication between the two regulators.

The agreement has already been used to develop a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between ONR and the CNSC which allows the sharing of best practises and experience around reviewing advanced reactor and small modular reactor (SMR) technologies.

The agreement also allows for future joint working to facilitate a joint technical review of advanced reactor and SMR technologies and to cover pre-application activities to ensure mutual preparedness to effectively and efficiently review these.

The IEA was signed by ONR’s Chief Nuclear Inspector Mark Foy and President Rumina Velshi, CNSC’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Mark Foy, said: “Mark Foy, said: “I’m delighted that we have been able to put in place the IAE with the CNSC. The IAE makes a formal commitment to cooperation and collaboration that will provide a foundation for us to work together to achieve the very best outcomes in the regulation of advanced reactor and SMR technologies.

“We are both independent regulators and there are clear benefits to working collaboratively on front line regulatory activities that will enable us to become even more effective regulators.”

CNSC President Velshi is satisfied with the agreements, stating: “I am so pleased with the progress that we are making through increased collaboration with the ONR. Collaborative efforts benefit the work we are each leading in our own countries.

“Further, these agreements help to expand our mutual cooperation as regulatory leaders to ensure our oversight of the safe development and deployment of innovative technologies without imposing an unnecessary or unreasonable barrier to innovation and advancement.”