WELCOME ADRESS FROM JACQUES REGALDO, WANO CHAIRMAN, TO THE ATOMEXPO FORUM PARTICIPANTS


Dear participants and guests of the ATOMEXPO Forum!

Nuclear energy is facing new global challenges today. Many new projects are being launched by new comers to the industry whilst at the same time many countries have to deal with the issue of ageing plants. In addition to this, there is a growing need for information and transparency with increasingly difficult economic conditions. In this global context, WANO’s role is to stay focused on nuclear safety fundamentals. Relying on a strong, united and vigilant community, WANO’s mission is to raise safety standards in operation all over the world.Safety is our first priority because it is the condition for the acceptance and development of nuclear energy.
As a global organisation, with the support of all our members, we have made together tangible progress through more challenging programmes. This progress is mainly due to the commitment and will of each WANO member. But we must not be complacent, we still have to go the extra mile, striving for greater consistency in our safety assessments and adapting our organization to meet the future developments in the nuclear industry.
In April we marked the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. With the passing of time, we still have to improve our methods, to better evaluate our performance, to implement the lessons learned everyday in the field of operations and to bring support to the plants which are most in need. In this context, I want to underline the importance of Atomexpo which takes place every year and is a major event for the industry. It is a confirmation of our commitment to strengthen international cooperation in the nuclear power industry for the continuous improvement of nuclear safety. May I wish all those taking part in Atomexpo fruitful discussions and successful cooperation.

In a changing context all over the world, nuclear energy has to face new challenges: development of renewable energies, economic pressure, public acceptance… In looking for reduction of CO2 emissions, most countries are re-thinking their energy mix and nuclear energy is one of the main options to deal with this demand. The challenges are different for the operators who were the first to build their fleet and now have to deal with the issue of ageing plants, for those who are building new plants at a high scale, or for those who are discovering a new industry, the “newcomers”. But in any situation, we all have to keep in mind that nuclear safety remains our overriding priority.

In this context, we must not have a short memory, even if economic pressure is increasing. Relying on a strong, united and vigilant community, WANO’s mission is to raise safety standards in operation all over the world. Safety is our first priority and safety culture is also a key issue for every worker in our industry, including the supply chain and manufacturing control. As a global organisation, with the support of all our members, we have made together tangible progress through more challenging programmes. But, as I always say, we must not be complacent, we still have to go the extra mile adapting our organisation to meet the future developments in the nuclear industry.

In this context, I want to underline the importance of Atomexpo which takes place every year and is a major event for the industry. The support of WANO is a confirmation of our commitment to strengthen international cooperation in the nuclear power industry for the continuous improvement of nuclear safety. I notice that this year one of the themes is innovation and I consider that this is also a great challenge for the nuclear industry. In fact, nuclear industry can be seen as a mature industry but new ideas are always welcome to improve the way of working and to improve safety : it is part of the WANO philosophy.May I wish all those taking part in Atomexpo fruitful discussions and successful cooperation.

 

Jacques Régaldo, WANO Chairman