Development of the efficient emergency preparedness system for the nuclear critical infrastructure

The evaluation of the critical nuclear infrastructure vulnerability to threats like human occurrences, terrorist attacks and natural disasters and the preparation of emergency response plans with the estimation of optimized costs are of the vital importance for the assurance of a safe nuclear facilities operation and the national security. In the past national emergency systems did not include vulnerability assessments of the critical nuclear infrastructure as the important part of the comprehensive preparedness framework. The fundamental aims of the efficient emergency preparedness and response system are to provide a sustained emergency readiness and to prevent an emergency situation and accidents. But when an event happens the mission is to mitigate consequences and to protect the people and environment against the nuclear and radiological damage. The efficient emergency response system, which would be activated in the case of the nuclear and/or radiological emergency and release of the radioactivity to the environment, is an important element of a comprehensive system of the nuclear and radiation safety. In the article the new methodology for the critical nuclear infrastructure vulnerability assessment as a missing part of an efficient emergency preparedness system is presented. It can help the overall national energy sectors to identify and better understand the terrorist threats and vulnerabilities of their critical infrastructure. The presented methodology could also facilitate national agencies to develop and implement a vulnerability awareness and education programs for their critical assets to enhance the security, reliability and safe operation of the whole energy infrastructure. The vulnerability assessment methodology will also assist nuclear power plants to develop, validate, and disseminate the assessment and survey of new efficient countermeasures. The significant benefits of the new vulnerability assessment research are to increase nuclear power plants security, reliability and availability. The basic objectives of performing a nuclear power plant vulnerability assessment are to better understand threats and vulnerabilities, determine acceptable levels of a risk, and incorporate countermeasures to reduce identified vulnerabilities. The prevention of a nuclear power plant shutdown because of the terrorist attack or sabotage will avoid loss of overall national economic activities. Initial estimates of only economic losses due to the nuclear power plant shutdown because of the terrorist attack and/or sabotage could run into millions of dollars, depending on the size and types of areas affected. First attempts of developing the new methodology for the nuclear critical infrastructure vulnerability assessment as a part of an efficient emergency preparedness system are presented. (author)