Protection from fires in nuclear plants, online questionnaire launched

The Topical Peer Review dedicated to the topic of fire protection of nuclear plants is underway. It concerns all installations that fall within the scope of the EURATOM Directive: nuclear power plants, research reactors, plants related to the nuclear fuel cycle, plants in decommissioning, spent fuel storage plants and radioactive waste deposits present on the sites of the installations themselves.

What is it about? The EURATOM Directive requires each Member State to carry out, every six years, a national assessment on a specific topic relevant to the nuclear safety of its plants, called Topical Peer Review (TPR). For this second cycle of the TPR, the topic of fire protection was chosen. This evaluation, which takes the form of the preparation of a national report, must then be subjected to a peer review process conducted by experts designated by the Member States and the European Commission. Subsequently, any improvement measures that emerge as necessary must be implemented according to specific action plans. The exercise also constitutes an opportunity for a fruitful exchange of experiences and good practices.

The entire process is coordinated by ENSREG.

In this phase, after the preparation of the national reports by the individual member states, their review is underway, conducted by the team of designated national experts, who operate under the guidance and supervision of a steering committee. This review will lead to the formulation of specific questions by February 14th.

ISIN actively participates in the entire process, having taken care of the preparation of the national report based on the safety assessments conducted by the operators (https://www.isinucleare.it/sites/default/files/contenuto_redazione_isin/tpr_ii_fire_protection_nar_italy.pdf), covering the role of vice-presidency of the Steering Committee and with the participation of its own experts in the audit team.

For other reports and further information: https://www.ensreg.eu/country-specific-reports-tpr-2

The national reports are also submitted by ENSREG to public consultation so that interested parties in various capacities can ask questions.

The terms under which the TPR II consultation takes place are described on the ENSREG website page at the link: https://www.ensreg.eu/news/call-participate-stakeholders-consultation-second-topical -peer-review-fire-protection-nuclear

Any questions from the public and various stakeholders can be included, by February 9th, in the questionnaire model shown in the link: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/0e9045a4-fe58-671f-9a9a-e26abc18395d

The answers that the various Member States provide will then be published on the ENSREG website.