Periodic physical protection review and assessment

In 1996, the German nuclear regulatory authorities decided to require a periodic safety and physical protection review and assessment for nuclear power plants ten years after commencement of power operation and every ten years thereafter, which has to be carried out and documented in a report by the licensee. This report has to be submitted to the nuclear regulatory authority for evaluation. The scope and the necessary content of the periodic physical protection review and assessment report have been specified in a set of guidelines, including the following points: (a) Description of the present status of the plant's physical protection, including the protection objectives and concept, civil engineering, other technical, personal and administrative physical protection measures; and protection measures for improving the protection level, currently being implemented or in the licensing process. The physical protection status shall contain a presentation of the operating experience with physical protection accumulated over the past ten years. (b) Report on the results of the licensee's assessment of the physical protection status of his plant to determine to what extent vital physical protection functions are ensured for the delay time of the police response forces. This assessment has to be carried out for anticipated malevolent actions by outsider and insider adversaries and for taking of hostages and extortion. (c) If the assessment shows that specific physical protection functions cannot be ensured to an acceptable extent, additional physical protection measures have to be specified by the licensee to compensate for possible deficiencies. The licensee has to propose a time schedule for implementing the additional protection measures. Experience from physical protection review and assessment reports submitted up to now shows that additional physical protection measures have to be implemented for protection against internal adversary sabotage and relating to structural barriers surrounding the inner protected zone. Specific examples are given. (author)