[en] The regulatory status of US power reactors undergoing the necessary steps toward licensing as of the end of the period covered by this issue of Nuclear Safety, i.e., the first quarter of 1988, is summarized. The NRC documents referenced in this section are generally available at the NRC Public Document Room, 1717 H Street, NW, Washington, DC 20555. This section also contains brief reports of regulatory actions and other significant events relating to reactor projects in the licensing stage that were received during the period covered by this report, namely the first quarter of 1988. 3 refs., 1 tab

[en] The US House of Representatives which has traditionally been wary of measures that would allow nuclear power to expand, came down strongly on the side of nuclear when it approved a much-amended omnibus energy bill on May 27 by a vote of 381 to 37. The key for the nuclear industry is the presence in the bill (H.R. 776) of language on one-step power plant licensing that was taken directly from the Senate energy bill (S. 2166) that passed in February. This means that when the House and Senate work out a compromise version of the legislation, one-step licensing is almost certain to be carried through--and become law once the final bill is signed by President George Bush, which is expected later this year. The House's endorsement of nuclear power--both as it exists now, and as it could be with the introduction of new plant designs and an end to the long hiatus in plant orders by utilities--went beyond one-step licensing. Debate on the House floor prior to Memorial Day totally transformed the nuclear-related part of the energy bill. H.R. 776 was reported to the floor by the Rules Committee with language by the Interior and Insular Affairs Committee that would have created a nominal one-step system, with a full evidentiary hearing prior to plant construction but also allowing an intervenor who later presents new information on the plant to get another full evidentiary hearing after construction but before operation. This would effectively duplicate the two-step process that existed for all plants now in service, and which utilities no longer want to endure

[en] This extended abstract discusses a sample of the various issues that small reactor applicants or vendors may encounter in the lead-up to the submission of a construction licence application to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. (author)

No abstract available

[en] Both global warming and the need for dependable sources of energy continue to make nuclear power generation an appealing option. But a history of cost overruns, project delays, and environmental disaster has pushed the industry to innovate and design a more flexible, scalable, and safe source of nuclear energy - the small modular reactor. Innovation in generation technology creates disruption in already complex licensing and regulatory processes. This paper discusses how the application of systems engineering and requirements management can help combat confusion, rework, and efficiency problems across the engineering and compliance life cycle. The paper is based on the PhD Dissertation 'Licensing Model Development for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) - Focusing on Finnish Regulatory Framework', approved in 2013. The result of the study gives recommendations and tools to develop and optimize the licensing process for SMRs. The most important SMR-specific feature, in terms of licensing, is the modularity of the design. Here the modularity indicates multi-module SMR designs, which creates new challenges in the licensing process. Another feature impacting licensing feasibility is the plan to build many standardized power plants in series and use factory-fabricated modules to optimize the construction costs. SMR licensing challenges are under discussion in many international forums, such as World Nuclear Association Cooperation in Reactor Design Evaluation and Licensing Small Modular Reactor group (WNA CORDEL SMR) group and IAEA INPRO regulators' forum. This paper also presents an application of the new licensing process using Systems Engineering, Requirements Management, and Project Management practices and tools. (author)

No abstract available

[en] Westinghouse experience with transfer of technical information is two-sided. First is our experience in learning, and the second is our experience in teaching others. Westinghouse conducts a special school to which government, academic and industry people are invited. There are many problems involved in all technology transfers; these include: keeping information current, making certain changes are compatible with the supplier's manufacturing capability and also suitable to the receiver, patent right and proprietary information. The building, testing and maintenance of the unit on the line - and then a succession of its sister plant is the basis for the Westinghouse leadership

[en] The use of reliability and risk assessment techniques in the reactor licensing process is discussed. Topics covered include acceptable levels of risk, utilization of Reactor Safety Study (WASH-1400) techniques, and the future for risk assessment in the licensing process

[en] Nuclear Reactors Built, Being Built, or Planned contains unclassified information about facilities built, being built, or planned in the United States for domestic use or export as of December 31, 1987. The Office of Scientific and Technical Information, US Department of Energy, gathers this information annually for Washington headquarters and field offices of DOE; from the US Nuclear regulatory Commission; from the US reactor manufacturers who are the principal nuclear contractors for foreign reactor locations; from US and foreign embassies; and from foreign governmental nuclear departments. The major change in this revision involves the data related to shutdown and dismantled facilities. Because this information serves substantially different purposes, it has been accumulated in a separate section, ''Reactors and Facilities Shutdown or Dismantled.'' Cancelled reactors or reactors whose progress has been terminated at some stage before operation are included in this section

No abstract available