IAEA Initiative Advances Efforts to Support the Safe, Secure Deployment of SMRs

Regulatory Track participants have produced approaches that will help countries to work together in SMR regulatory reviews, sharing resources and knowledge. “The implementation of these approaches will help regulators to learn from each other, increasing their trust that other regulatory frameworks that may initially seem different, are able to achieve good results,” said Paula Calle Vives, Senior Nuclear Safety Officer at the IAEA.

In addition, the IAEA is planning to gather feedback on the implementation of these approaches and is investigating options for developing a repository of information on regulatory reviews. “The work we are doing is not necessarily aiming to harmonize regulatory requirements but to harmonize how the requirements are met and demonstrated,” said Anna Bradford, Director of Nuclear Installation Safety at the IAEA and Chair of the Regulatory Track.

One of the three working groups in the Regulatory Track aims to develop a process to leverage other regulators’ reviews to save resources and learn from the expertise and experience of other regulators. It is also developing a process for regulators to collaborate and share their perspectives on reviews of the same nuclear reactor design. Most participants expressed support for avoiding duplication of regulatory reviews.

“We are on track to develop approaches to enhance national reviews, enabling regulators to take maximum advantage of international work and efforts by other regulators. This will lead to minimal repetition among regulatory reviews by different Member States and minimal need for design changes arising from regulatory differences. Together we can establish a common basis for Member States’ regulatory decisions while preserving their sovereignty,” Mr Grossi said.

For the nuclear industry, NHSI is identifying common approaches on codes and standards used as a part of design, manufacturing, construction, commissioning and operation of advanced reactors, like SMRs. “The SMR business model is often based on serial production, which means that after the deployment of the first-of-a-kind reactor, cost and time savings materialize under a standardized approach,” said Aline des Cloizeaux, Director of Nuclear Power at the IAEA and Chair of the Industry Track.

One of the main objectives of the Industry Track is to harmonize high-level user requirements. An international reference is under development to help regulatory bodies understand what future licensees expect and to help embarking or expanding nuclear power countries structure their specifications for prospective suppliers.

The Industry Track is also forming a network and associated platform for resource sharing on experiments and code validation for SMRs. The IAEA Network for Experiment and Code Validation Sharing (NEXSHARE) is expected to launch next year, in conjunction with a workshop and publication on participating experimental facilities. “Sharing information on experiment and code validation does not necessarily mean sharing data but identifying what is available, what work is being conducted, what are the gaps and what facilities are currently available,” des Cloizeaux said.

Regulatory and industry representatives shared feedback and suggestions on the work that has occurred, thus far, and possible areas for enhancement going forward. The timeliness and relevance of NHSI’s work, which will be beneficial for both mature and embarking nuclear power countries, is underscored by the need to transition to clean energy and to meet energy demands. “NHSI can be a game changer if we all work together and commit our resources to bring it to a successful outcome,” Mr Grossi said. 

NHSI is composed of 30 countries, 94 unique organizations and more than 200 contributors. The next NHSI plenary is planned for 2024.