Development of the international network

Development of the international network

​​​​Sogin is involved in the development of an international network linked to nuclear decommissioning and the management of radioactive waste in both institutional and technical fields.

Due to its public nature and as the main hub of Italian expertise in the field of decommissioning and radioactive waste management, the Company dialogues with world experts in the sector, participating in the most important international forums and in numerous working groups and initiatives within the main international organizations in the sector. This comparison contributes to the continuous improvement of company performance through the adoption of the most recent management, scientific and technological trends.

Sogin also assists the Italian Government, its bodies and other national institutions active in the nuclear field, either personally or as a support, providing its expertise at international institutional tables.

The international presence develops mainly within or through interaction with three international organizations.

  1. European Union, with an ongoing relationship with the main bodies with competence in the nuclear field, in particular the General Directorate for Energy (DGENER), the Joint Research Center and the EURATOM European Supply Agency.
  2. Agency for Nuclear Energy (NEA) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), dedicated to the development and maintenance of the technical and scientific knowledge necessary for the safe and sustainable use of nuclear energy
  3. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the United Nations, dedicated to the development of the use of atomic energy, in all its applications and in all aspects, for peaceful purposes
​In its institutional capacity, Sogin collaborates, in particular, with the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Italian Representations at the International Organizations in Vienna and Paris. It participates annually, within the government delegations, in the General Conference of the IAEA and collaborates with the Italian National Nuclear Security Inspectorate (ISIN) in the preparation of the periodic report foreseen by the Joint Convention on Radioactive Waste and Spent fuel Safety, as well as the related conferences of revision.

Sogin participates, as an observer and on the appointment of the Italian Representative at the OECD, to the Steering Committee of the Nuclear Energy Agency and has been called, during the periods of the Italian presidency of the G7 (2010, 2017), to take part in the work of the Italian delegation within the G7 “Nuclear Safety and Security Group” (NSSG), also holding the vice-presidency (2017).

As an operator, Sogin's international activities are developed in five main areas: decommissioning; waste management; radiation protection; technical regulations and nuclear safety standards; communication. In each, Sogin's experts participate in initiatives that can give a broad spectrum of technical-scientific activities or participate in work groups aimed at solving specific technical problems.
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Decommissioning

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Sogin chooses a representative at the Committee on Decommissioning and Legacy Management of the NEA, takes part in the work of the Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling and of the International Cooperative Program on Decommissioning, the most important international projects dedicated to the exchange of experiences in the field of decommissioning of plants nuclear and takes part in the work of the Decommissioning Cost Estimate Group of the NEA whose purpose is the development of correct methodologies for estimating costs related to decommissioning and waste management. Furthermore, starting from 2019 Sogin will participate in the International Decommissioning Network, a worldwide network under the aegis of the IAEA that involves organizations and people involved in decommissioning and decommissioning nuclear plants to facilitate the sharing of practical decommissioning experiences and lessons learned, developing know-how and skills relevant to decommissioning activities, as well as for collecting and making information available.

Waste management

Sogin chooses a representative at the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management of the NEA and participates annually in the plenary meetings of the European Nuclear Energy Forum (ENEF), having held the presidency of the Waste Management Group until the end of its work. Sogin has also participated for years in the work of the Club of Agencies, a forum created as a free information exchange initiative between Waste Management Organizations and recognized by WENRA (the world organization of regulators in the nuclear field) and by the European Commission as an interface respectively for the new Safety Reference Levels and for the new European standards in terms of waste management and final disposal in particular. The participation in the International Project on irradiated Graphite Processing Approaches, aimed at solving the problems related to the management of radiated graphite and the International Low Level Waste Disposal Network, a network of international experts under the IAEA, which are involved principally operators of disposal depots in operation or under construction/licensing, with the aim of sharing all possible issues, as well as those, related to the disposal of radioactive waste.


Radiation protection of workers and the population

Sogin chooses a representative at the Committee on Radiological Protection and Public Health of the NEA and participates in the project Modeling and Data for Radiological Impact Assessments Project (IAEA) aimed at the international improvement and harmonization of the radiological impact assessment methods of radioactive releases, both for normal operating conditions and for incidental conditions, as well as to the WGDECOM - ISOE Working Group on Radiological Protection Aspects of Activities at Nuclear Power Plants.

Technical legislation and nuclear safety standards

Sogin contributes to the development of the international nuclear safety standards and to their subsequent declination in technical standards and best practices to be adopted at national level. In particular, Sogin expresses the presidency of the Technical Commission “Nuclear technologies and radiation protection” of the Italian standardization body (UNI), which among other things constantly monitors the activities of the technical committees that deal with the nuclear sector, in particular those of CEN (Comite Europeen de Normalization) and ISO (International Organization for Standardization). By way of example, Sogin participated in the definition of the UN/10897 standard for the detection, with X and gamma measurements, of radioactive sources in recycled metal materials and contributed to the preparation of the draft UNI / 1604827 standard which aims to define the characteristics, the requirements and the design criteria for the containers to be used for the packaging of medium activity solid radioactive waste as per the Italian classification dictated by the Ministerial Decree of the 7th of August 2015. This standard, once issued, will be intended to all national producers of radioactive waste that will have to send their waste to the National Repository.


Transparent information to the stakeholders

Sogin annually takes part in the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence (FSC) of the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the nuclear section of the OECD of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This is the most important permanent technical table on stakeholder involvement in decommissioning and radioactive waste management. The representatives of the Waste Management Organization (WMO) such as Sogin and the Regulatory Authorities (RA) participate in the FSC, but also experts from other sectors such as environmental organizations, experts in communication and analysis of decision-making processes, representatives of the Technical Support Organization (TSO) and representatives of other supranational bodies such as the European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the UN. Periodically, the FSC organizes National Workshops (NW), in-depth events on the situation of a single country, through the exchange of experiences and points of view between the members of the FSC and representatives of different institutions (including local ones) of that country, also with the aim of facilitating decision-making processes at crucial moments in radioactive waste management programs.

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  • Sogin S.p.A.
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  • Share capital of euros 15.100.000
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