NUCLEAR REACTOR SAFEGUARDS. Introduction

12.250. Deliberate destruction of a reactor by sabotage could have con­sequences similar to those of a severe accident; hence, prevention of sabo­tage is an aspect of nuclear safety. The owner-operator of a nuclear plant (or other nuclear facility) is required to develop a physical security plan for the plant. According to NRC regulations, details of the plan must be included in the application for an operating license but they are withheld from public disclosure. Specific guidance for implementing plant security criteria is provided by the NRC and by the American National Standards Institute. Although protection against possible sabotage is primarily an industrial security problem, it is also an aspect of the nuclear safeguards activity concerned with the prevention of unauthorized use of “special nuclear material” (§10.109).