Designing and Operting New Nuclear Power Plants for Future Refurbishment - Regulatory Perspective

Abstract

Designers and operators of future Heavy Water (HW) nuclear power plants (NPPs) should take into consideration the likelihood that when the NPP reaches the end of its “assumed design life” it may be subject to refurbishment or extended operation rather than decommissioning. This consideration may impact the design requirements and operation provisions by placing emphasis on, for example, designing and maintaining specific structures, systems and components (SSCs) such that expected plant-life-limiting SSCs remain functional, or can be replaced or repaired to ensure the continued validity of the licensing basis for extended plant operation. As such, designers and operators should consider lessons learned from the refurbishment projects undertaken around the world, as well as insights from the use of the Periodic (or Integrated) Safety Review, to conceptualize HW NPPs that could effectively be refurbished to extend their operation beyond the originally assumed design life.This paper presents a regulatory perspective regarding the potential for designing and operating new NPPs with refurbishment taken into account at the outset of the design process. Examples of regulatory experience gained from current Canadian refurbishment projects are also given.