Periodic safety review of nuclear power plants. Safety guide

This Safety Guide supplements the IAEA Safety Fundamentals publication The Safety of Nuclear Installations [1] and the Safety Requirements publication Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Operation [2]. It supersedes the Safety Guide issued as Safety Series No. 50-SG-O12, Periodic Safety Review of Operational Nuclear Power Plants, in 1994. Routine reviews of nuclear power plant operation (including modifications to hardware and procedures, significant events, operating experience, plant management and personnel competence) and special reviews following major events of safety significance are the primary means of safety verification. In addition, some States have initiated systematic safety reassessment, termed periodic safety review (PSR), to assess the cumulative effects of plant ageing and plant modifications, operating experience, technical developments and siting aspects. The reviews include an assessment of plant design and operation against current safety standards and practices, and they have the objective of ensuring a high level of safety throughout the plant's operating lifetime. They are complementary to the routine and special safety reviews and do not replace them. The purpose of this Safety Guide is to provide recommendations and guidance on the conduct of a PSR for an existing nuclear power plant. The Safety Guide is directed at plant operating organizations and regulatory bodies. This Safety Guide deals with the PSR of an existing nuclear power plant. A PSR is a comprehensive safety review of all important aspects of safety, carried out at regular intervals, typically of ten years. The review process described in this Safety Guide is valid for nuclear power plants of any age, but may have a wider applicability, for example, to research reactors and radioactive waste management facilities. A PSR is not intended to deal with the decommissioning phase; however, documentation resulting from a PSR would be an important input for planning decommissioning