Nuclear safety, a discussion on future prospects at the WENRA meeting in Bled

A common approach to the safety of new reactors, extension of the operational life of nuclear power plants, nuclear safety in Ukraine, recruitment of human resources by regulatory authorities and cyber security: these are some of the topics discussed during the WENRA (Western European Nuclear Regulators Association) plenary meeting held in Bled (Slovenia) on 8 and 9 April hosted by the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Agency.
WENRA, the Association of the Directors of the European Nuclear Safety Authorities, aims to develop a common approach to nuclear safety, as a basis for its regulation in the EU, as well as to promote its continuous improvement, guaranteeing European institutions an independent assessment capacity.
Since 2006, WENRA has developed a considerable harmonization work, which has led to the definition of a set of reference criteria for the safety of operating reactors, the treatment, storage and disposal of radioactive waste and irradiated fuel as well as the decommissioning of plants, which are implemented by the Member States.
Over time, it has been opened to other States as Associates (Canada and Japan) and Observers such as, for example, Austria, Cyprus, Denmark, Norway and the United States; ISIN has been participating in the Association since its establishment in 1999.
Other issues were addressed during the two-day meeting in Bled, such as the assessments of the current SRL (Safety Reference Level), developed in various fields including commercial reactors and research reactors, decommissioning, treatment, storage and disposal of radioactive waste, in order to identify a common set of safety requirements, also for the review and assessment of new reactor technologies (SMR, AMR). With regard to the validity of the current WENRA safety criteria to ensure safety on SMR or AMR reactors, it was underlined that the current body of safety requirements are certainly sufficient, even if one of the specific aspects on the introduction of these types of reactors, which could have an impact on the safety requirements, will certainly be the high population density, considering the type of use that has been envisaged, i.e. in proximity to industrial districts with high energy needs.
Another topic addressed was that of the involvement of the public in the periodic review processes of the safety of nuclear installations (PSR), conducted every 10 years to evaluate the level of safety of nuclear plants in operation.
The first considerations that emerged from the Working Group on "recruitment and skill management", coordinated by the Dutch Authority and in which ISIN actively participates, were presented. The aim of the Working Group is to identify strategies for the acquisition and training of qualified personnel in the nuclear field, as well as to guarantee the possibility of retaining the personnel acquired in the nuclear safety field.
Part of the meeting was dedicated to the discussion of Long Term Operation: all WENRA member countries in which nuclear power plants operate, presented their approach to extending the operational life of plants well beyond 30 years of life. The approach of extending, after in-depth safety and ageing management assessments, up to 60/80 years, and even beyond, the operational life of existing plants has now become consolidated.
During the meeting, space was given to the usual update on the situation of nuclear plants in Ukraine. In particular, the Director of the Nuclear Safety Authority, SNRIU, reported on the status of the Zaporizhzhya plant and the consequences of the attack on the Chernobyl sarcophagus containment structure, which occurred on February 14th.
Finally, the possibility for a country to accept licensing conducted by another country was discussed: on this point, WENRA will develop a common approach on how to conduct the preliminary assessment on the “concept design” of nuclear reactors.