The International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA) held its annual closing meeting, via videoconference, in which the president of the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN), Josep Maria Serena i Sender, has participated.

Serena i Sender introduced to his counterparts an update on the activities carried out by the CSN in the recent months, during which everyone's work has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Particularly, the president of the CSN stated that the Spanish regulator has adapted its Inspection Plan to the current situation, in which it has been identified the inspections that can be postponed, carried out remotely or through a combination of remote and physical inspections.

In this regard, Serena stressed out that the Board of Commissioners of the CSN approved in July a document with the general criteria for remote inspections, which identifies and regulates new ways to develop the regulatory functions of inspection and control. The document includes, among others, the criteria for the proper justification of the use of virtual inspections, the types of verifications and inspections, the technical requirements for the connection platforms, the training needs, etc.

Likewise, he highlighted that the CSN has kept practically all its fundamental processes intact, especially the regulatory activity, since the assessment and licensing work has continued with hardly any incidents.

Furthermore, Serena i Sender recalled that the regulator continues to work on the digital renewal process that will allow facing any type of difficulty in the current circumstances and that includes equipment, connections, applications, or online support to users, among other aspects.

INRA usually holds two meetings a year, where regulatory issues of common interest are openly discussed. In this international association, transparency, multilateral cooperation and the exchange of experiences among the countries that compose it are promoted.

The International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA), founded by the regulatory bodies of the nine countries in the world with more experience in the licensing of nuclear activities (Germany, Canada, Spain, France, Japan, United Kingdom, Republic of Korea, Sweden, and the United States of America) was created in Paris in May 1997.

 

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