Improving Performance in a Competitive Environment

Abstract

Improving performance and sustaining improvement is not an option - it is mandatory if nuclear power is to be part of our future energy equation. The public, through the regulator, will not tolerate the increased risks associated with less than quality performance. Acceptable performance standards have been advocated by the nuclear industry for many years and the public believed that the standards were being met. However, observed indications of performance during the past several years suggest that this may not be the case. The cultural change required to reverse the trend in Canada, to one where the nuclear industry is the leader, is a challenging task. Industry survival depends on taking prompt action leading to a sustained high standard of safety performance. This challenge comes at a time when the power industry is rapidly moving toward a deregulated environment. Improving safety performance comes with added cost which is contrary to the cost cutting pressures associated with deregulation. How we deal with these competing forces is discussed in this paper.