Application of American and French rules for the next Belgian PWR

The licensing practice in Belgium is evolving from the precedent compliance with the USNRC rules (as applied to the 4 last Belgian PWRs) to a more sophisticated approach applied to the next Belgian PWR (N8), which incorporates a mixed compliance with the USNRC or with French rules, depending on the equipment, the structure or the system considered. In this paper is presented the approach concerning the licensing rules applicable to N8. The following aspects are covered: rules applicable to the NSSS, rules applicable to the BOP (codes of design for systems and structures), rules applicable to the equipment (code of construction for mechanical and electrical components), and impact on the lay-out of the plant. Some examples of application of the methodology are given