South African Licensing Framework for the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor

It is planned to construct a first-of-a-kind Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) in South Africa and it has been recognized that there is a need to adapt the licensing process for the PBMR to ensure that a credible and effective licensing process is developed and implemented for this "new" technology. This paper will present the major challenges that the South African National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) is facing in developing and implementing such licensing process and how these are being addressed. The paper will discuss the regulatory framework considering the implementation of effective regulation to this new technology and will also present the stakeholders involvement and interaction in this project as required by the relevant South African legislation. The existing South African licensing process had to be adapted to take into account the developmental nature of the project. It entails the development of a set of PBMR specific regulatory documents to support the licensing process, the qualification of the designer and applicant in terms of their quality and safety management systems and processes, PBMR supplier qualification, and the assessment of the safety case. The paper will present the various NNR requirements defining the licensing framework for the PBMR Demonstration Power Plant (DPP). (author)