With the number of nuclear new build projects increasing in many NEA member countries, it becomes all the more valuable to share the lessons learnt from recent and ongoing nuclear construction programmes. Bringing together industry experts from around the world, the NEA held its first conference on excellence in nuclear constructions on 18-19 June in London, United Kingdom.
The first day started with discussions on a topic of keen interest to the nuclear sector: human resources development. Panelists shared stories on the challenges of staffing large-scale projects and building a shared culture, while discussing the lived experiences of employees, the role of the social compact and the lessons learnt from projects like Vogtle, Flamanville and Hinkley Point C.
Attracting and retaining talent, particularly for projects in remote areas or small towns, was one topic that sparked particular interest, with participants and panelists agreeing that collaboration, understanding and motivation contribute to establishing successful workforce pipelines in the nuclear sector.
Panelists for the session on construction project management.
The interactive discussions also covered the topic of digitalisation, with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) sharing how their use of information technology and artificial intelligence was helping improve project management and deliver cost-effective solutions.
The day closed with legal experts sharing their experiences of contracting and how the reality of a project is often different than planned, citing once again the lessons learnt from the North American nuclear context. It also highlighted new collaborative models to align incentives across project stakeholders.
The second day featured conversations on building the scale of new nuclear projects, with many noting the past success of the shipbuilding and aerospace industries in fleet deployment. Participants addressed a number of risks and advocated for resilience and collaborative supply chains, including through discussions between manufacturers of commercial grade and nuclear grade tools and materials. Standardisation is needed to accomplish this collaboration, save costs and mitigate delays.
Beyond helping industry, this will facilitate the work of regulators in pre-licensing and ensure there is common understanding between the two sides on the regulatory challenges to overcome. Co-operation between government and industry was a recurrent theme in many of the sessions, with discussions enriched by the diversity of the participants’ backgrounds.
Participants listening during a session.
The conference also touched on the next steps to take and how best to share innovative methods and knowledge in the building, manufacturing and repeatable production of new build projects. This includes optimising manufacturing processes with advanced manufacturing and robotics as a first step toward construction assembly, as well as new developments in the crane industry to increase productivity. Participants of the last panel focused on the promise and realities of modular construction and what it can bring to both large and small reactor types.
The event brought together professionals from NEA member countries, and dovetails with other NEA workshops and publications seeking to support member countries with various facets of new build, such as financing, market design and supply chain resilience.
