Renewal of the operation licence for Paks NPP

Full text: 1. Current situation - Hungarian legislation does not exclude Lr of the units; There are no detailed instructions how to renew the current licence after 'design lifetime'; There is only one type of Time Limited ageing Analyses in Final Safety Analysis Report: Rp embrittlement; Fatigue analyses, equipment qualification or other TLAA's are not included in the Far; There are a lot of statements without background documentation about the operability of certain equipment for 30 years; Ageing is managed as part of maintenance, test and ISI activities; FSAR has been elaborated on the basis of NRC Reg. Guide 1.70 and has to be updated yearly, but there are big gaps in the design bases information in comparison with R-G 1.70 requirements; Periodic Safety Review complies with guide 50-SG-O12 of the IAEA; it is to be submitted to RB every 10 years. 2. Preparatory activities, performed by HAEA - Studying IAEA documents related to ageing; Studying US NRC documents related to ageing and LR; Listing equipment, which needs ageing management; Identification of scope and structure of ageing analyses; Ageing analysis of selected equipment (provided by TSO VEIKI); Preparation of guides on ageing management in accordance with Hungarian regulations' structure; Studying NRC Reg. Guide 1.70 on FSAR and IAEA safety guide 50-SG-O12 on PSR (identification of gaps and overlaps in these documents); Comparison of international experience with Hungarian opportunities (identification of gaps in input information). 3. Lessons learned from preparatory activities - Design basis documentation of Paks NPP needs completion and re-evaluation; The ageing Management Program should cover all SSCs important to safety in consistent and auditable manner; Equipment qualification was not included in initial design basis therefore the EQ documentation is not complete and part of equipment does not comply with EQ requirements; Effective maintenance of technical condition of safety related equipment has not been regulated and inspected to sufficient extent by the RB; The four areas mentioned above have to be properly managed both by the utility and the regulatory body. This is not only a prerequisite for LR, but it has to be solved in the frame of current operating licence. (If licence renewal is a chair, these areas are the four legs of it.) 4. Achievements and further tasks - Guides for ageing management have been developed and agreed as well as guides for equipment qualification; Draft guides for LR application have been elaborated. They can be issued after discussion on and agreement of the concept of licence renewal; There is an agreement on starting the NRC's 'Maintenance Rule' implementation; New role and content of PSR and FSAR has to be defined and related regulations have to be carefully reviewed; The legal basis to all these efforts has to be accomplished by modification of the Governmental Decree 108/1997 and the Nuclear Safety Regulations in 2002; A timetable has to be elaborated for the tasks to be performed: under current licence conditions (before application for licence renewal); before expiration of design lifetime; and during the renewed operating licence period. (author)