Preparing for regulating Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs) · technology’s main safety,...
Transcript of Preparing for regulating Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs) · technology’s main safety,...
Preparing for regulating Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs) Elspeth McGregor
New Reactors Division
Office for Nuclear Regulation
Contents
• Our regulatory philosophy
• Background to and objectives of our work on
Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs)
• ONR’s ANT team
• ONR’s work on ANTs:
• Mature Technology Small Modular Reactors (MT SMRs)
• Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs)
• International cooperation
• Next steps
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Our regulatory philosophy
ONR’s regulatory philosophy
• Goal setting – (mostly) non-prescriptive
• Targets developing and sustaining an open and effective
dialogue with dutyholders positive and enabling approach
overall
• Overarching requirements of our regulatory work are ensuring
that risks are reduced As Low As Reasonably Practicable
(ALARP)
• Use of Relevant Good Practice (RGP) is at the core of the
demonstration of ALARP
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ONR’s regulatory philosophy
ONR’s regulatory philosophy is
underpinned by a risk-informed framework
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http://www.onr.org.uk/documents
/2017/risk-informed-regulatory-
decision-making.pdf
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Background to our work on
Advanced Nuclear Technologies
(ANTs)
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2016
• ONR provided technical
and regulatory input (to UK
Government) during Phase
1 of the SMR competition in
2016
• Competition provided useful
insights into smaller reactor
market
• Government believes
different measures needed
for the sub-sets of this
diverse market
October 2017
“The Government is also announcing that it will invest £7 million to further develop the capability and capacity of the nuclear regulators to support the development of advanced technologies”
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/651916/BEIS_The_Clean_Growth_online_12.10.17.pdf
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https://apply-for-
innovation-
funding.service.g
ov.uk/competition
/80/overview
December 2017:
Department for
Business, Energy and
Industrial Strategy
(BEIS) launches
“SBRI: nuclear
advanced modular
reactors (AMRs),
feasibility and
development”
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Objectives of our work on ANTs
ONR’s initial objectives on ANTs
ONR has put in place plans to:
• Develop the capability and capacity
needed to regulate advanced nuclear
technologies (ANTs)
• Ensure that regulators’ processes and
guidance are fit for the purpose of
regulating ANTs
• Provide advice to BEIS’ AMR competition
• Engage with the ANT industry
• Increase engagement with international
regulators
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Acting as enablers
and champions for
innovation in the
nuclear landscape
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ONR’s ANT team
Where are ANTs in ONR?
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Advanced Modular
Reactors (AMRs)
EPR
Regulation
HPR1000
Regulation ABWR
Regulation NuGen
Regulation
New Reactors
Division
Advanced
Nuclear
Technologies
ANT Delivery
Management
Group Lead
Mature
Technology SMRs
AMR Competition
Delivery Management
Group Lead
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ONR’s work on ANTs:
Mature Technology (MT) SMRs
Key Activities
• Engagement with the MT SMR industry
• Review of the regulatory processes
• Review of regulatory guidance
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Engagement with MT SMR developers Commenced in November 2017
We aim to achieve:
• An understanding by the vendors of the regulators’ key
expectations and requirements of the safety, security and
environmental justifications to be submitted ahead of future
deployment in the UK (e.g. in support of design assessment)
• An understanding by regulators of the technology and its
proposed deployment and operation, as well as of the current
status of the vendors’ safety, security and environmental
assessments and justifications
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Will provide useful information for our focused
regulatory review of guidance & processes
Engagement with MT SMR developers
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Stage 1
Opening
engagement
Single 4 h
session
In the April to
May 2018
window
Stage 3
Close-out
engagement
Single 4 h
session
In the Jan to
Mar 2019
window
Stage 2
Main engagement
Four sessions (up to 12 h over 2 days)
In the July to Nov 2018 window
1. Design and operation (vendor-led)
2. Nuclear safety (ONR-led)
3. Nuclear security (ONR-led)
4. Environment (EA-led)
At BEIS’s (UK Government)
invitation
Industry
engagement
event
23 Nov 2017
Key topic seminars
Feb & March 2018
(recorded for future use)
1. UK goal-setting legislation
2. UK nuclear safety case structure
Group engagement • Open to all
• Not specific to any one design
1-to-1 engagement
• Closed and confidential
• Specific to each vendor and its design
Review of the design assessment process
• ONR and the Environment Agency (EA) the UK environmental regulator, already have a well established design assessment process: Generic Design Assessment (GDA)
• GDA has been used successfully for UK EPR™, AP1000® and UK ABWR; it is on-going for UK HPR1000 - www.onr.org.uk/newreactors
• GDA is an upfront, step-wise assessment of a generic design
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• Objective is identifying and
resolving key issues with the
design long before construction –
project risk reduction (for
vendor and regulators)
• Openness, transparency and
public input – building public
confidence
• GDA is not a formal regulatory /
legislative requirement
Review of the design assessment process
• GDA was originally developed on the premise of “large” established or available reactor designs
• Lessons have been learnt from previous GDAs but the underlying objective for GDA still remains valid
• We are looking at options to develop a more flexible design assessment process (and seeking to improve efficiency), which:
• Can accommodate ANT technology and requirements
• Remains consistent with previous GDAs
• Achieves the same objectives
• Provides an enabling approach to ANT development and deployment
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Assessment guidance
• Guidance is provided in the SAPs
and SyAPs
• These are principles to be
followed by ONR when assessing
safety / security submissions
• Provide frameworks for consistent
regulatory judgement
• Aligned with IAEA standards and
guidance
• Supported by more detailed
guidance
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Review of ONR assessment guidance: progress
• Initial review of ONR’s SAPs has been conducted looking at their
applicability to ANTs
• Almost all the SAPs apply and are flexible enough to deal with
ANTs
• Some SAPs may have increased prominence for ANTs, eg:
• ST.6 on multi-facility sites
• Some areas have been identified where additional guidance may
be required, eg, judging the adequacy of the deployment model
(multiple units)
• We are considering the need to develop an additional Technical
Assessment Guide (TAG) for ANTs
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Review of assessment guidance: way forward
• The output from the current phase of the project will be
recommendations for the development of guidance, and a plan to
implement these recommendations
• Any updated or new guidance will be developed in the next
phase of work
• The plan for the development of guidance will be informed by
consideration of the proposed design options to better
understand the challenges relating to ANTs
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ONR’s work on ANTs:
Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs)
Our work on AMRs
• Provision of advice to BEIS’ (UK Government department for
Business Energy and Industrial Strategy) AMR competition
• Development of regulatory capability and capacity needed to
regulate AMRs
• Identification of what is needed to ensure that regulators’
processes and guidance are fit for the purpose of regulating
AMRs
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SBRI: nuclear advanced modular
reactors, feasibility and
development
In addition, you will need to submit a
report (as a standalone annex to the
main feasibility report) summarising the
technology’s main safety, security and
environmental features. This report will
be reviewed by the Office for Nuclear
Regulation and the Environment Agency
(the regulators), who will provide
feedback.
To be successful you must also:
• make sure the regulators have a
clear understanding of your proposed
design. This may require additional
discussion with the regulators
• meet regularly with the government’s
appointed representatives to provide
updates on progress and to provide
information on approach and
methodologies.
Regulatory involvement in AMR competition
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BEIS’ AMR Programme (administered by InnovateUK) was launched in December 2017:
• Phase 1 (December 2017 to March 2019): funding up to £4 million to undertake 8 feasibility studies for AMR designs
ONR/EA involvement to assess regulatory confidence (safety, security and environment sections of the feasibility reports) and provide input to selection for phase 2
• Phase 2 (March 2019 to March 2021): subject to government approval, up to £40 million could be available for selected projects from phase 1 to undertake development activities
ONR/EA involvement being developed and will focus on supporting AMR vendors as they move towards design assessment
Regulatory involvement in AMR competition
June 2018 – Industry Workshop
• ONR/EA will present the regulatory aspects of BEIS’ AMR competition:
regulatory criteria and guidance
• Single-day workshop for those vendors pre-selected by BEIS to produce
feasibility studies in Phase 1
• Aim is to provide vendors with an understanding of regulatory expectations,
criteria and the level of safety / security / environmental information required in
the feasibility studies.
Winter 2018/2019 – Assessment Period
• ONR/EA will assess safety, security and environment sections of feasibility
studies
• There will be an individual engagement with vendors to discuss feedback /
unclear aspects of the submission
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Progress
• ONR’s AMR team has conducted an exercise to familiarise with
Generation IV technologies (September 2017 to January 2018).
• This has served as the basis for:
• Development of the regulatory aspects of BEIS’ AMR competition regulatory criteria and guidance
• Initial identification of issues that we may face in the regulation of AMRs
• Initial identification of skill gaps development of a training plan
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Way forward
• Support the AMR programme and engage with the AMR vendors
in line with our plan
• Continue the familiarisation exercise focused on specific areas
that we have identified (e.g. materials).
• Develop a consolidated list of areas where we need additional
information or guidance for assessors the output from the
current phase of the project will be recommendations for the
development of guidance, and a plan to implement these
recommendations
• Implementation of the training plan
• Further consideration to be given to how regulators could engage
wider with AMR vendors
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International cooperation
International activities on ANTs • A key objective for us is to strengthen engagement with international
regulators
• ONR is currently undertaking the following:
• Participation in the SMR Regulators’ Forum (under IAEA)
• Participation in the NEA’s Working Group on the Safety of Advanced Reactors
(WGSAR) – joined recently
• Multilateral / bilateral discussion with international regulators
• ONR anticipates extending the international activities related to ANTs
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Next steps
Next Steps • Continue to develop capability and capacity needed to
regulate ANTs (implementation of our training plan)
• Recommendations for the development of guidance,
and a plan to implement those recommendations
• MT-SMR design assessment process (additional
engagement needed for AMRs?)
• Input to BEIS’ AMR competition in terms of regulatory
confidence
• Continue the engagement with the ANT industry
• Continue and increase engagement with international
regulators
• Prepare to support BEIS on its other ANT related
policy development activities
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Acting as enablers
and champions for
innovation in the
nuclear landscape
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Thank you!
Preparing for regulating Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs) Elspeth McGregor
New Reactors Division
Office for Nuclear Regulation