A. ALONSO, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain, S. K. SHARMA, formerly of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, India and D. F. TORGERSON, Atomic Energy of

Canada Ltd, Canada

Abstract: This chapter addresses the need for licensing of nuclear power plants, and how such licenses can be requested by an applicant and granted by a regulatory authority. The licensing process is country dependent, although based on the common principle that the applicant must demonstrate that the proposed nuclear power plant will comply with the established regulations, and that it will operate safely without undue risks to the health and safety of plant personnel, the population and the environment. During the construction and operational phases the regulatory authority ensures compliance with the the license conditions through evaluation, monitoring and inspection. The license may be a single document covering all the phases in the life of the plant, or a set of consecutive documents requested and issued for different phases, which may include design certification, site approval, design and construction, commissioning and operation, design changes during operation, life extension and, finally, decommissioning.

Key words: site license, construction license, commissioning license, operating license, decommissioning license, design certification, license renewal.

20.1 Introduction

Nuclear power plants and related fuel cycle installations and activities are built and put into operation because they offer advantages for the global need for electricity generation. However, these installations and activities have a potential to create radiation risks to the health and safety of the population, and to cause radioactive contamination of the environment. The need then arises to keep such risks under control and reduce them to acceptable levels, while maintaining the economic, environmental, and social advantages from such installations and activities. That goal can be reached by scientific understanding of the phenomena behind such risks and implementation of technical measures to overcome them. Although much knowledge has already been obtained and relevant technical progress has been made and put into practice, as in other similar cases, it has been considered necessary to establish a strict independent licensing system. This chapter discusses the meaning and purpose of licensing, and looks at the implementation of the licensing process for nuclear power plants.

Licensing of nuclear power plants is a well-regulated activity by which the potential licensee submits a proposal in accordance with specified requirements. A competent body of experts then verifies that safety provi­sions fully comply with the previously established safety requirements. A licensing authority makes its decision based on the safety assessment pro­vided, as well as on other national requirements. There is a large variety of national organizational setups dependent on individual countries’ legal infrastructures and practices; nevertheless, the licensing principles are equivalent. In some cases the expert body and the licensing authority are within a single organization, whereas in other cases the licensing authority, generally a government authority, is separated from the body of experts. Whatever the system, within this chapter, the body of experts and the licens­ing authority together are referred to as the Regulatory Body (RB).

There are some countries in which a single license, although divided into parts, covers all phases in the life of the plant, while others license each phase independently. In both cases, well-established steps or parts have been defined that include the siting, design and construction, commissioning, operation and dismantling of a plant. Some countries include design approval as a first step of licensing, as well as plant modifica­tions during construction and operation. Some RBs also license several types of reactor operating personnel. This chapter includes examples of such approaches.

Both the applicants for a license and those who carry out the safety review need to have a good knowledge of the nuclear power plant (NPP) design and experience of relevant legal, scientific and technological issues. The applicants need to have a deep knowledge of the safety requirements and the technologies to demonstrate compliance with them. Safety review­ers have to be able to verify that compliance with the regulations has been adequately demonstrated. For the first units in new entrant countries, appli­cants may obtain help from reactor suppliers, while the safety reviewers should acquire the needed expertise from the RB of the country of origin of the NPP supplier, or from an experienced regulator that has licensed one or more NPPs employing the selected technology. In any case, adherence to well-proven designs is highly recommended. When new designs are employed, they should be thoroughly checked by analysis and testing. This chapter also describes the areas in which help from an experienced regula­tor can be gainfully used by new RBs of new entrant countries.

Safety should not only be achieved in design, siting and construction but also be maintained and improved during all modes of operation, including commissioning and decommissioning. To achieve this goal, there should be a strong safety culture and positive safety attitude on the part of the licen­see, and an efficient and effective nuclear safety overview process by the RB with the capability of enforcement in case of deviations from the estab­lished requirements. Periodic self-evaluations, as well as peer reviews by national and international experts, like those conducted under the systems in practice by the International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA) and the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), are also helpful in achieving and maintaining a high level of safety. The responsibilities and major functions and activities to be performed by the licensees and the RB are addressed in this chapter.