ALARA at the design stage of nuclear installations

ALARA at the design stage of a plant is not as straightforward as it can be in an already running installation. Basic elements of information needed to implement it cannot be known. Furthermore the ALARA procedure must be constrained by design targets in order to comply with both authorized limits set by national authorities and specific dose objectives set by the plant operators. The paper presents a methodological approach as developed and implemented in the case of the design of a mixed oxide fuel fabrication plant. First lessons from this project are outline. (Author)