WANO celebrates 20 years of nuclear safety

Twenty years ago the nuclear industry came together to create WANO – the World Association of Nuclear Operators. The driving force to establish WANO was the Chernobyl nuclear plant accident and the determination of nuclear operators worldwide to ensure that such an accident should never happen again. Formally established in Moscow on 15 May 1989, WANO has since built a solid reputation for professionalism and excellence. Its ground-breaking programmes have won widespread respect throughout the industry.

‘The key to WANO’s strength has been the focus on safety through international cooperation,’ says Laurent Stricker, WANO Chairman. ‘Our single aim, “to maximise the safety and reliability of nuclear power plant operation”, remains as relevant today as it was 20 years ago.’

WANO unites all the companies in the world that operate a commercial nuclear power plant. Membership includes the operating companies of 447 nuclear plants in over 30 countries, and these numbers are set to increase further still as more countries turn to nuclear power as a sustainable source of electricity.

'Collectively the industry has made great progress in safety and reliability. Our major programmes have matured and are being widely used as a resource by our members,’ says Stricker. ‘Cooperation and exchange of information among stations is better than ever, and we have seen a strong improvement in safety performance over the past 20 years. Performance indicators show good results, and the number of peer reviews, and technical support missions are higher than ever and still climbing.'

Looking to the future, WANO leaders are working with nuclear plant operators worldwide to ensure that the next 20 years continue to build on this record of achievement. With a nuclear revival underway, WANO is committed to helping ensure the future success of the industry through continued sharing, communication and mutual support on safety-related matters.

To mark its 20th anniversary, WANO is holding a special conference in St. Petersburg, at the end of May.

'This conference acknowledges the tremendous contribution made by the WANO founders,' says Stricker. 'At the same time, it will encourage the next generation of leaders to embrace the goals, objectives and spirit of WANO.'

For more information, contact Lucas Mampaey, Managing Director, at the WANO Coordinating Centre in London. Telephone: +44 (0)20 7478 9200.

Note for Editors

About WANO

The World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) was formed in 1989, in response to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, to improve safety at every nuclear power plant in the world.

WANO's mission is to maximise the safety and reliability of nuclear power plant operation by exchanging information and encouraging communication, comparison and emulation among its members.

As every organisation in the world that operates a nuclear electricity generating plant is a member of WANO, it is a truly international organisation, cutting across political barriers and interests. WANO is an association set up purely to help its members achieve the highest practicable levels of operational safety, by giving them access to the wealth of operating experience from the worldwide nuclear community. WANO is non-profit making and has no commercial ties. It is not a regulatory body and has no direct association with governments. WANO has no interests other than nuclear safety.

WANO’s work is achieved through four complementary programmes:

• peer reviews – in addition to each plant’s ongoing critical self-assessments, WANO provides an independent team of professionals to examine plant safety. WANO now performs more than 30 peer reviews each year.
• operating experience – event reports from nuclear power plants worldwide are collected by WANO. The lessons learned are passed on to every nuclear plant in a series of reports and an on-line operating experience database.
• professional and technical development – an information exchange forum is provided through workshops, seminars, expert meetings and training courses. WANO conducts approximately 20 such courses and workshops each year.
• technical support and exchange – WANO now conducts over 200 technical support missions each year, where a group of highly qualified peers visits a plant to solve a specific issue.