Periodic Safety Review: A Tool to Maintain and Enhance Safety

Routine reviews of nuclear power plant operation (including reviews of plant modifications, operating experience, plant management) and special reviews following safety significant events are the primary means for ensuring safety. As a complementary tool, systematic safety reassessments, termed periodic safety reviews (PSR), have been initiated to assess the cumulative effects of plant ageing and plant modifications, operating experience and technical enhancements. At the time being, PSR is already part of the regulatory system in many countries, though the scope and content of PSR, the manner of its implementation and the regulatory activities relevant to PSR vary depending on national regulations. This was the reason to revise and update the existing Safety Guide taking into account IAEA Member States experiences. The Safety Guide proposes an approach to evaluate 14 safety factors within PSR. However, not all countries performing PSR follow the safety factor approach. As one example, the German approach will be briefly described.