Licensing Process for the Construction, Commissioning and Operation of Nuclear Power Plants

By IAEA

This Safety Report provides guidance, targeted towards States newly embarking upon a nuclear power plant programme, on the licensing process and associated procedures needed during for the construction, commissioning and operation stages of a nuclear power plant, so that the applicant complies with national regulations in line with the internationally recognized safety principles and requirements throughout these stages. The publication elaborates on the generic guidance provided in IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSG-12, Licensing Process for Nuclear Installations, and gives supplementary practical guidance for nuclear power plants.

• Language: English
• Publisher: International Atomic Energy Agency
• Release date: Oct 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9789201177230

Book preview

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LICENSING PROCESS

FOR THE CONSTRUCTION,

COMMISSIONING AND

OPERATION OF NUCLEAR

POWER PLANTS

SAFETY REPORTS SERIES No. 119

LICENSING PROCESS

FOR THE CONSTRUCTION,

COMMISSIONING AND

OPERATION OF NUCLEAR

POWER PLANTS

INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY

VIENNA, 2023

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

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© IAEA, 2023

Printed by the IAEA in Austria

October 2023

STI/PUB/2005

IAEA Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Names: International Atomic Energy Agency.

Title: Licensing Process for the Construction, Commissioning and Operation of Nuclear Power Plants / International Atomic Energy Agency.

Description: Vienna : International Atomic Energy Agency, 2023. | Series: Safety Reports Series, ISSN 1020–6450 ; no. 119 | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: IAEAL 23-01615 | ISBN 978–92–0–117523–6 (paperback : alk. paper) | ISBN 978–92–0–117623–3 (pdf) | ISBN 978–92–0–117723–0 (epub)

Subjects: Nuclear power plants — Commissioning. | Nuclear power plants — Design and construction. | Nuclear power plants — Safety measures.

Classification: UDC 621.039.5 | STI/PUB/2005

FOREWORD

The past two decades have seen an increase in the building of new nuclear power plants. In addition, many Member States have expressed an interest in embarking on nuclear power programmes. A decision to embark on a nuclear power programme calls for great responsibility on the part of the Member State and necessitates the establishment of an adequate legal, governmental and regulatory infrastructure within a defined framework.

IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 1 (Rev. 1), Governmental, Legal and Regulatory Framework for Safety, addresses this issue and establishes the requirements that are considered necessary for ensuring safety while embarking on a nuclear power programme. One of the important aspects addressed in GSR Part 1 (Rev. 1) is related to establishing a system for authorization and licensing. This is further elaborated and explained in detail in IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSG-12, Licensing Process for Nuclear Installations, which covers the licensing stages from the siting of a nuclear installation to its construction, commissioning, operation, decommissioning and release from regulatory control.

This publication provides additional guidance, mainly for Member States embarking on a nuclear power programme, on the licensing process and associated procedures needed during the construction, commissioning and operation of a nuclear power plant. It also elaborates on the generic guidance provided in SSG-12 and gives supplementary practical guidance.

The IAEA would like to express its appreciation to all the experts who contributed to the development and review of this publication. The IAEA officer responsible for this publication was U. Bezdeguemeli of the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety.

EDITORIAL NOTE

Although great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of information contained in this publication, neither the IAEA nor its Member States assume any responsibility for consequences which may arise from its use.

This publication does not address questions of responsibility, legal or otherwise, for acts or omissions on the part of any person.

Guidance and recommendations provided here in relation to identified good practices represent expert opinion but are not made on the basis of a consensus of all Member States.

The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries.

The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA.

The IAEA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third party Internet web sites referred to in this book and does not guarantee that any content on such web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

The authoritative versions of the publications are the hard copies issued and available as PDFs on www.iaea.org/publications.To create the versions for e-readers, certain changes have been made, including the movement of some figures and tables.

CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background

1.2. Objective

1.3. Scope

1.4. Structure

1.5. Terminology

2. OVERVIEW OF THE LICENSING PROCESS

2.1. Basic attributes and main features

2.2. Relevant IAEA safety standards

2.3. National legal and regulatory framework

2.4. Primary responsibilities of the government and regulatory body

2.5. Primary responsibilities of the applicant/licensee

3. STRUCTURE OF THE LICENSING PROCESS

3.1. General considerations related to the licensing process

3.2. Relevant regulations and guides to be developed by the regulatory body

3.3. Alternative regulatory processes

4. BASELINE ASSUMPTIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION LICENCE APPLICATION

4.1. Characteristics of the applicant/licensee

4.2. Choice of design by the applicant/licensee

4.3. Local arrangements

4.4. Development of design information

4.5. Long lead items

5. REGULATORY PROCESS FOR LICENSING STEPS OF CONSTRUCTION, COMMISSIONING AND OPERATION

5.1. Construction

5.2. Commissioning

5.3. Operation

APPENDIX I: TYPICAL PROCESS FOR GRANTING A LICENCE

APPENDIX II: TYPICAL CONTENT OF A LICENCE

APPENDIX III: DEVELOPMENT OF THE SAFETY ANALYSIS REPORT IN DIFFERENT LICENSING STEPS

References

Annex I: EXAMPLES FROM MEMBER STATES

Annex II: PRINCIPLES OF A FOLLOW-UP DOCUMENT

ABBREVIATIONS

CONTRIBUTORS TO DRAFTING AND REVIEW

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background

Paragraph 3.8 of IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SF-1, Fundamental Safety Principles [1], states:

A properly established legal and governmental framework provides for the regulation of facilities and activities that give rise to radiation risks and for the clear assignment of responsibilities. The government is responsible for the adoption within its national legal system of such legislation, regulations, and other standards and measures as may be necessary to fulfil all its national responsibilities and international obligations effectively, and for the establishment of an independent regulatory body.

As the main element of a regulatory infrastructure, a well defined and effectively applied authorization system that encompasses review and assessment activities and inspection activities by the regulatory body is key to the achievement of a high level of safety throughout the lifetime of a nuclear power plant (NPP). The authorization of specific activities related to NPPs through a process of licensing is one of the principal functions of a regulatory body. ‘Authorization’ is a general term, but often, in the context of NPPs, the term ‘licensing’ is used for the authorization process. Licensing gives the regulatory body effective regulatory control over safety and the ability to apply the legal and regulatory framework in order to ensure that the responsibilities of the licensee are being adequately fulfilled in accordance with the legislation and regulations. IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 1 (Rev. 1), Governmental, Legal and Regulatory Framework for Safety [2], addresses the establishment of a system for licensing in Requirements 2, 23, 24 and 25.

Additionally, the IAEA has provided guidance on the licensing process for all types of nuclear installation in IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSG-12, Licensing Process for Nuclear Installations [3]. Further guidance on aspects of the authorization process is provided in IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSG-12, Organization, Management and Staffing of a Regulatory Body for Safety [4], and IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSG-13, Functions and Processes of the Regulatory Body