WANO said the Shanghai office will be led by the director, Joel Bohlmann, and three deputy directors; Ding Yunfeng from State Power Investment Corporation Limited, Zou Yongping from China General Nuclear and QiTunfeng from China National Nuclear Power Co, Ltd.
“The strategic rationale for setting up the new office is to ensure WANO is in a strong position to cater for the dramatic growth in the development of nuclear power plants in China and across Asia – where around two-thirds of the world’s new reactors are under construction,” a statement said. “With a growing demand for WANO's services from new units, the organisation can ensure that these units make a safe and reliable transition from construction to operation.”
Progress on the movement of people to staff the Shanghai Office and to train at the WANO regional centres is being put on hold pending resolution of the global Covid-19 pandemic. However, the administrative, legal, financial and planning work associated with establishing an organisational structure and a physical infrastructure for the project is moving forward.
WANO is a non-profit organisation which aims to help its members with issues of operational safety and reliability. It runs various peer review programmes and offers access to technical support.
