Ensuring Safety Regulation for Sustainable Development of Nuclear Power

Achievement of high safety standard is essential for ensuring sustainability of nuclear power generation. Regulatory requirements for ensuring safety in design is very crucial so that due priority is given to safety during design of NPPs. These requirements need to be changed from time to time in order to refresh the concepts and goals of safety with evolution of technology accommodating innovations, experience from design, construction and operation as well as experience from major nuclear events in the world. Public expectations of safety, socio economic situations and demographic conditions plays a major role in framing safety goals. Large scale contamination of land and crops or relocation of public living in the vicinity of NPPs for indefinite time frame has become unacceptable. AERB recently published 'Safety Code on Design of Light Water Reactor Based Nuclear Power Plants,' stating mandatory requirements for design of light water based Nuclear Power Plants (NPP), intended to ensure the highest level of safety that can reasonably achieved. New requirements redefined the concept of 'Defence in Depth' by introducing 'Design Extension Conditions' (DEC) in National safety regulation. The code also specifies requirements with respect to public dose for Design Basis Accidents and Design Extension Conditions and provides regulatory approach in the area of beyond design basis including severe accidents as well as extreme/unexpected events. (author)