The goal of maintenance at a nuclear power plant (NPP) is to ensure that nuclear operators have all systems available that are necessary for safe and reliable power production, and that these systems are functioning reliably and efficiently. All these elements are part of plant operation and outage strategy; how the plant strategy is implemented is one key element that can determine the success of optimizing operation and maintenance, and therefore reduce costs without compromising safety.

The purpose of the event is to:

• Share experience and lessons learned in relation to the optimization of NPP maintenance and outage management in different Member States;
• Identify ways of improving the maintenance and effectiveness of plant outages in order to reduce operating costs;
• Enhance participants’ understanding of how to implement effective maintenance and outage optimization strategies; and
• Produce a list of current issues and concerns for Member States with respect to cost reduction problems.

The meeting is targeted at nuclear industry professionals, executives, outage managers, operators, designers, vendors and regulators from Member States with established nuclear power generation programmes. Participants in the event have to be designated by an IAEA Member State or should be members of organizations that have been invited to attend.