Which membership is right for you?
WANO membership supports industry professionals with one goal – pursuing excellence in nuclear safety. From any operator or owner of a nuclear power plant or nuclear fuel reprocessing facility, micro, or small modular reactor, to any non-governmental organisation that has an important impact on nuclear safety, stakeholders in the nuclear industry can apply for membership in WANO in one of four categories.
Multiple categories of membership are established based on participation, representation and influence over nuclear safety. WANO membership is voluntary, and members must affiliate with at least with at least one or more of WANO’s regional centres.
WANO’s Articles of Association state that admission is subject to the discretion of the WANO Governing Board. WANO membership is voluntary and once an application has been approved, all members must follow the membership obligations, outlined in the WANO Charter and detailed in a WANO Policy Document.
If you are unsure about whether your organisation qualifies for membership, please use our decision tree.
Members Categories
There are a total of five categories of WANO membership, they are:
| Category | Category 1 | Category 2 | Category 3 | Category 4 | Category 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Description | An Operator (operating company), Owner, or Operator Representative Organisation that directly represents one or more nuclear power plants or fuel reprocessing facilities in WANO business decisions. | An Operator that has chosen to be represented by an Owner or Operator Representative Organisation in their WANO membership. | A qualifying Owner of a Category 1 member, Operator, Affiliated Organisations and operators/Owners of plants undergoing decommissioning. | A WANO Regional Centre (referred to as an Associate Member in the WANO Articles of Association). | An Emerging Organisation throughout the tendering, licensing, construction and commissioning phase of their first new nuclear power plant. (Category 5 members will transfer to either Category 1 or 2 at the time of pouring of first nuclear concrete on the nuclear island.) |
| Typical Member Profile | Operating companies, plant owners. | Operating companies that have chosen to be represented by another member within WANO, such as the American nuclear operators that are represented within WANO by the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO). | Organisations with a non-regulatory nuclear safety mission compatible with WANO’s own mission, such as the China Nuclear Energy Association (CNEA). | All WANO Regional Centres. | New countries to nuclear energy and new technology operators |
| Key Benefits and Responsibility | ✓ Full access to the WANO Member Website, including industry reports and resources. ✓ Opportunity to participate in all WANO-sponsored events, workshops, seminars, and training activities. ✓ Access to all WANO products and services. ✓ Voting right at the WANO General Assembly Meetings. ✓ Responsibility to fulfil applicable membership obligations as described in the WANO Charter and Policy Document 2, Membership Obligations. | ✓ Full access to the WANO Member Website, including industry reports and resources. ✓ Opportunity to participate in all WANO-sponsored events, workshops, seminars, and training activities. ✓ Access to all WANO products and services. ✓ Voting rights represented by the representing Category 1 member. ✓ Responsibility to fulfil applicable membership obligations as described in the WANO Charter and Policy Document 2, Membership Obligations. | ✓ Full access to the WANO Member Website, including industry reports and resources. ✓ Opportunity to participate in all WANO-sponsored events, workshops, seminars, and training activities. ✓ Fixed annual membership fee. ✓ Requests for member support missions will be honoured on a case-by-case basis depending on available resources. | Category 4 is for WANO Regional Centres. | ✓ Full access to the WANO Member Website, including industry reports and resources. ✓ Opportunity to participate in all WANO-sponsored events, workshops, seminars, and training activities. ✓ Fixed annual membership fee. ✓ Support to develop and maintain an interaction plan, coordinate and oversea new unit assistance and pre-start up activities. ✓ Access to tailored New Unit Assistance Modules covering nuclear safety culture, operator fundamentals, organisational effectiveness and oversight, and more, to ensure successful start-up. ✓ A maximum of two Member Support Missions per year. |
All members accept their individual responsibility for the nuclear power plant they operate and accept their collective responsibility to assess, inform, help and emulate other nuclear operators.