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15th INPRO Dialogue Forum on Sustainable Supply Chain for Advanced Nuclear Power Systems
International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO)

​2–4 July 2018 | IAEA Headquarter, Vienna, Austria

A new nuclear power plant (NPP) requires complex or heavy forgings, and only a few manufacturing companies in the world have the capacity to accept ingots of the necessary size. However, many other components are also essential to support current and future nuclear power projects, and these call for reliable and diverse supplier bases. Further, in addition to those components that must be of nuclear grade, an NPP also relies on a wide range commercial grade components and structures.

In recent years, the construction and operation of advanced NPPs have been impacted by significant procurement-related events and concerns. There have been temporary shutdowns of NPPs due to the installation of counterfeit, fraudulent or substandard items, as well as issues related to increased reliance on digital equipment and components containing software, computer security and increased globalization of the nuclear supply chain.

Therefore, it is essential to disseminate good practices and lessons learned with respect to procurement and supply chain issues among owner/operator organizations, regulatory bodies, suppliers, auditors, and other stakeholders throughout the nuclear industry. In the global economy, a reliable and robust global nuclear supply chain would help ensure the successful completion of construction of new NPPs in time and within budget, as well as provide quality assurance for safety regulation in the operation and maintenance of the plants. On the other hand, the governments of countries with established nuclear programmes tend to put great emphasis on localization of the supply chain in order to maximize the social and economic benefits of a nuclear power project through the use of local resources.

The objectives of 15th INPRO Dialogue Forum are:

  • To identify typical procurement processes used for NPP construction, operation and maintenance (although targeted at operating NPPs, the principles and processes to be presented at the Dialogue Forum are generally applicable to new-build advanced NPP projects and other nuclear facilities);
  • To discuss the national, regional and global situation and address key issues and challenges in the nuclear supply chain;
  • To identify proactive methods to avoid procurement-related issues such as counterfeit, fraudulent or substandard items for new and operating NPPs;
  • To exchange information on related programmes that are relevant to a sustainable nuclear supply chain and to localization; and
  • To draw up recommendations for the IAEA Secretariat and for the Member States with regard to sustainable supply chains for advanced nuclear power systems.

Working Documents

Presentations

Opening Session

Keynote Session I

Keynote Session II

Session for the Member States

Session for the International Organizations

Session for IAEA

Closing Session