World Association of Nuclear Operators

World Association of Nuclear Operators

Industry	Commercial Nuclear Energy
Founded	15 May 1989
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Naoki Chigusa, Chief Executive Officer, Tom Mitchell, Chairman
Members	130 members with 460 plants
Number of employees	420
Website	wano.info

The World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO)^[1] is a nonprofit, international organisation with a mission to maximize the safety and reliability of the world’s commercial nuclear power plants. The organization’s members are mainly owners and operators of nuclear power plants.  

It was established on 15 May, 1989 following the nuclear accident at Chernobyl (Ukraine). After the event, nuclear operators worldwide began to work together through WANO to improve safety and reliability to prevent recurrences. Experience shows that many accidents could have been prevented if lessons would have been learned from previous incidents. WANO unites every company and country that has an operating commercial nuclear power plant to achieve the highest possible standards of nuclear safety and reliability.^[2] The organization enables members to provide mutual support, exchange safety knowledge and operating experience, and share best practices with each other to improve performance. WANO’s members operate approximately 460 nuclear units in over 30 countries and areas worldwide.

WANO helps members communicate and share information through its five main programs: Peer Review, Performance Analysis, Member Support, Training & Development and Corporate Communications. WANO has offices in London and Shanghai, and has regional centers in Atlanta, Moscow, Paris and Tokyo.