Regulatory review methods: review of the ANSTO application for a facility licence to operate the OPAL research reactor in Australia: Case study review of operational readiness

This paper will examine the review methods used by assessors of the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency in advising the CEO of ARPANSA on the application by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) for a facility licence authorising it to operate the OPAL reactor. In particular it will focus on an aspect of that review that considered the operational readiness demonstrated by ANSTO in relation to the OPAL reactor as an aspect of the review of safety of the OPAL reactor. The review of operational readiness examined the extent to which the managerial, procedural and administrative controls that were proposed for the reactor were appropriate and the extent to which they demonstrated underlying support for the operation of the reactor. The review utilised guidance from International Atomic Energy Agency documents on the operations of research reactors and also an internal ARPANSA regulatory guide that has been based on a review of current international best practice in nuclear safety in this area. The review in particular focused on the adequacy and maturity of the information on matters such as effective control, safety management, radiation protection, radioactive waste management, ultimate disposal, security and emergency planning in relation to the OPAL reactor. The paper will focus in particular on the manner in which each of these plans and arrangements were reviewed and the overall importance that was placed on this review in the regulatory decision making process undertaken by ARPANSA. Key themes that will also be explored in the paper are: - The development and implementation of ARPANSA regulatory guidance, its basis in key international guidance and its use in undertaking regulatory reviews; - The importance of key safety management plans and the review of those plans in establishing regulatory confidence in the operator. - The importance of open and questioning safety management policy and procedures, with the development of a set of safety performance indicators (SPI) that can provide the regulatory body with assurance of nuclear safety. - The challenge of assurance for the regulator when systems are new and untested, and staffing profiles are under development. (author)