This year marks the 10-year anniversary of the creation of the IAEA’s Site and External Events Design Review Service (SEED). This service is designed to assist countries in the different stages of the safety review of nuclear installations, such as nuclear power plants and research reactors.
“SEED is among one of the key services that the IAEA offers to regulatory bodies and current or future operators and vendors, because it covers essential elements of the lifecycle of a nuclear power installation, from siting to design, safety assessment to operation, and all potential impacts that could result from external events, such as a tsunamis, earthquakes, and floods," said Paolo Contri, Head of IAEA External Events Section, Division of Nuclear Installation Safety.
SEED review missions are normally carried out in three separate phases: pre-mission, which focuses on preparing for the main-mission review; main-mission, which involves an in-depth assessment of the requested nuclear installation and offers recommendations; and follow-up-mission, which assesses the implementation of the SEED mission recommendations – all executed by a team of experts led by IAEA staff. Countries requesting an IAEA SEED mission can choose from six modules depending on their desired review scope. These include a review of site and design regulations; a review of the site selection process; a site evaluation review; an environmental impact assessment (EIA) review; a site monitoring review; and a safety review of structures, systems and components, against external hazards.
SEED missions assess nuclear installation safety based on the application of IAEA Safety Standards and are supported by a number of IAEA technical documents. These documents are updated periodically according to feedback received from implementing countries. They are also used as a reference for comments and suggestions whenever a SEED mission is carried out, as they provide solid background on the state-of-the-art practices carried out within IAEA member countries.