Short Notice Random Inspection (SNRI) regime at a low enriched uranium fuel fabrication plant in Spain

The IAEA safeguards criteria require that, in addition to an annual verification of the facility operator's physical inventory taking, a regime of randomised inspections be implemented at fuel fabrication plants, in order to achieve 100% verification coverage for domestic transfers of nuclear material. The advance notification period for such randomised inspections depends on the time that such material is available for verification, commonly referred to as 'residence time'. In the case of this facility, the residence time is almost zero; therefore the short notice random inspection (SNRI) regime being developed is based on a very short inspection notification time that would match the very short residence time, in order to achieve the safeguards goals. Another challenge addressed here is related to the demand of some States to have their representative attend all inspections with the IAEA. The paper addresses the implementation issues and activities to be performed by the IAEA, together with a regional inspection authority. (author)