BULGARIAN NUCLEAR REGULATORY AGENCY COMMENDED THE WESTINGHOUSE FUEL LICENSING EXPERT REVIEW CONDUCTED BY ES GROUP AND SSTC NRS

Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency (BNRA) has finalized the expert review of the safety analysis reports for introducing the new fuel at Kozloduy NPP Unit 5 produced by Westinghouse, in which the consortium consisting of ES Group and the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS) took part together with the French Institute for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN).

This was reported by the Agency in its Report on the activities for 2023.

“The purpose of the expert review was to study the individual safety analysis reports for the new RWFA fuel type and assess compliance with all applicable safety requirements, including the IAEA Safety Standards. The process of expert review included regular meetings with the contractors to discuss any arising technical issues and the results of the review. The consultants’ experience in licensing of a new type of nuclear fuel, professionalism of the experts and effective project management were the key to the successful expert review”, the document says.

Within the framework of the technical review, ES Group and SSTC NRS analyzed the sufficiency of justification on the readiness of the In-core Monitoring System (ICMS) to the new type of fuel. In particular, the following were performed:

• analysis of the documents’ compliance with the requirements of national norms and standards, as well as the requirements of international organizations;
• analysis of the compliance of the upgraded ICMS equipment characteristics with the requirements of regulatory and operational documents;
• assessment of the sufficiency and reliability of the information received by the upgraded ICMS system to ensure nuclear and radiation safety for operation of VVER-1000 power units;
• evaluation of the materials justifying the use of the ICMS software.

As a reminder, following the audit in March of this year, ES Group was qualified as a service provider to Westinghouse in the joint projects for Ukrainian NPPs with VVER-440 and VVER-1000 reactors, including services for the analytical justification of Westinghouse fuel.

The SSTC NRS conducts all state expert reviews of safety assessment documents relevant to introduction and operation of Westinghouse fuel at Ukrainian NPPs. The SSTC NRS also participates in the European project APIS, which is implemented with the financial support of the European Commission and aimed at safe supply of Westinghouse fuel for VVER reactors. The goal of the project is to unify the approach for fuel introduction in the EU and Ukraine in accordance with the highest nuclear safety standards.