17.08.2015   Infrastructure and methodologies for the. justification of nuclear power programmes

Construction and commissioning

Site preparation will require craftsmen and labourers, as well as profession­als and managers, who have previously performed similar duties. Most of the staff during plant construction (about 85%) will be technicians and craftsmen. In the nuclear power industry, the requirements for unskilled labour are very low (of the order of 10%) although in some countries their proportion may be considerably higher, mainly owing to local labour prac­tices and employment policies. The construction, erection and installation of plant buildings will require one or more qualified civil engineering and construction firms with skilled and experienced workers.

For the manufacture of equipment and components there will be needed mechanical and electrical technicians, foremen and craftsmen, labour and administration.

To coordinate, manage and expedite component installation requires an experienced team. For equipment, component and systems erection and installation most of the required workforce will be technicians and crafts­men. Many of the welders must be qualified for specialized cover-gas equip­ment. At least 30% of the mechanical technicians and 10% of the electricians should have knowledge and familiarity with relevant codes, standards and criteria.

Core components erection is of a special nature and requires precision tolerances and aligning to close accuracies. Qualification of procedures by mock-ups and qualification of personnel are important. This stage of the construction provides the best possible opportunity to complement the

Table 6.3 Specialization requirements during engineering and procurement

Tasks and activities during the different stages of the NPP lifecycle

Requirements of education

Pre-project activities:

• Power system planning

B. Sc. in engineering, preferably electric power; economics (B. A.) and computer programming technicians

• Feasibility studies

B. Sc. in engineering; Economics and Law degrees

• Site survey and qualification

B. Sc. or B. A. in engineering, geology, hydrology, meteorology, ecology, biology and seismology

• Project management, supervision, quality assurance, safety and licensing

• Administration and public relations

M. Sc. or B. Sc. in engineering (nuclear, mechanical, electrical and electronics), metallurgist, physicist and chemistry, draftsmen

B. A. in economics and business administration, accountants and B. A. in journalism

Project engineering:

• Project engineering management and supervision

• Nuclear engineering

M. Sc. or B. Sc. in engineering (nuclear, mechanical, electrical, electronics and chemical)

M. Sc. or B. Sc. in engineering (nuclear, mechanical or chemical), metallurgist, physicist

• Civil engineering

• Mechanical engineering

B. Sc. in civil engineering B. Sc. in mechanical engineering, draftsmen and mechanical design

• Electrical engineering

B. Sc. in electrical engineering, draftsmen and electricians

• Instrumentation and control engineering

B. Sc. in engineering (electronics, electrical or computer)

Procurement:

• Procurement management

M. Sc. in engineering or M. A. in commerce, law or business administration

• Markets and coordination

M. Sc. in engineering (mechanical, electrical or nuclear), B. Sc. in engineering or B. A. in commerce

• Bidding and contracting

M. Sc. in engineering or M. A. in commerce, law and commercial technicians

• Monitoring and expediting

B. Sc. in engineering or B. A. in commerce

Quality assurance and quality control

M. Sc. and B. Sc. in engineering and technicians (mechanical, electrical and electronics)

Adapted with permission from

IAEA (1980), Table 1.12-1 to Table 1.12-10

Manpower Requirements and Technical Qualifications, on pp. 133-184 of the Technical Reports Series No. 200, Manpower Development for Nuclear Power: A Guidebook, IAEA, Vienna.

training of the future plant maintenance personnel, who should actively participate in the erection and installation effort and would thus gain further experience. In addition, the contractors and subcontractors and their skilled personnel would provide a very valuable manpower source for future plant maintenance and, in particular, for major overhauls, repairs or modifications.

During commissioning the specific human resource requirements accord­ing to the IAEA (2007b) include:

• A fully staffed nuclear power plant operation, maintenance and techni­cal support organization

• A fully staffed regulatory body with specific expertise in operating plant oversight

• Succession and personnel development planning to sustain the compe­tence of all areas of the national nuclear programme

• Enhanced educational opportunities for nuclear science and technology

• Enhanced training programmes for the development of operators and technicians.

Major support during commissioning is to be provided by engineers and technicians from the equipment manufacturers. In addition, the plant oper­ation and maintenance personnel participate actively in the commissioning of the plant; such participation is in fact considered to be the last essential part of their training. It is necessary to emphasize that during commission­ing the responsibility will be transferred from the construction team to the operating organization.