[NRG-Home] > [Products & services] > [S&P-start] > [ Safety assessments] > [Ten year evaluation]

Safety & Performance - Safety assessments - Ten yearly evaluation

NRG Safety & Performance can contribute to the safety review of your NPP. The expertise contributed by NRG includes among others project management, nuclear techniques, operational aspects, rules and regulations and specific analyses.

History of safety reviews

In the early years of nuclear energy, nuclear power plants were built on the assumption that the design and other provisions would need very little change during their lifetime. The accidents in Harrisburg and Chernobyl, however, changed the attitude towards safety considerably. The changed views were reflected in the modern reactor designs of the late 1980s and the early 1990s. Also, most plants world-wide underwent changes in accordance with the new concepts. In the meantime, the idea grew in many countries that such safety reviews should be undertaken periodically.

Netherlands: ten-yearly and two-yearly evaluations

The Netherlands decided on two-year and ten-year evaluations. The two-year evaluation is to check if the basic requirements for the licence are still being met. The ten-year evaluation is the actual state-of-the-art evaluation, in which international development in the field of nuclear safety is taken into consideration. Borssele's obligation to carry out these evaluations is laid down in their Dutch Nuclear Power Act licence.

First ten-yearly evaluation of Borssele NPP

The first ten-yearly evaluation was concluded in 1992/1993, resulting in a large number of modifications to the installation (amounting to 250 million euro) implemented in the period between 1995 and 1997. The emphasis was on 'hardware' adjustments. The implementation has resulted in a safety level, which more than satisfies the current risk standards required by the Dutch Government. NRG (then KEMA) assisted in this project providing various services during the whole course of the evaluation and the implementation from 1991 to 1997.

Second ten-yearly evaluation of Borssele NPP

Early in 2001 Borssele started the second ten-year evaluation, which was completed in 2003. NRG was involved in the preliminary stage as well as in the practical execution. NRG staff reinforced the evaluation project team and carried out several specific tasks, such as the evaluation of the ageing management. The expertise contributed by NRG includes project management, nuclear techniques, operational aspects, rules and regulations and specific analyses. The evaluation was to be performed within a period of three years, so that the final report could be presented to the regulatory authorities in 2003. After that decisions could be taken about possible modifications to the 'hardware' (installation) and to the 'software' (operation).

The evaluation comprised as main items: the design of the installation and the organisational, personnel and administrative aspects with specific emphasis on ageing management. The overall purpose was to demonstrate that the Borssele nuclear power plant can be operated safely for ten more years, taking into account the latest regulations, national and international developments and the current state-of-the-art.

The Borssele nuclear power plant produces 4% of the Dutch electricity demand.

Contact