A Study on Enhancing the Effectiveness of Periodic Safety Review of Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract

The Periodic Safety Review （ PSR ） is a continuous safety enhancement process to improve overall plant safety. The report on the Fukushima Daiichi accident issued by the IAEA indicated that the ap-proach to PSR in Japan was not fully in line with guidance from the IAEA. PSR was originally an ef fi cient means of improving the safety level of installations, and to make a decision on the continuation of the reactor operation for the next decade. In order to achieve the objectives of PSR, plant operators need to review their operating experience as well as reassess their past review and identify fi ndings which lead to improvements of plant safety. It is also important that regulators participate in the pre-paratory work of the review to identify the issues and the outcome of the review. To improve the ef fi ciency and effectiveness of this activity, the regulators need to develop a technical information base re fl ecting the safety inspection carried at the sites to identify issues. The plant operator also needs to reassess the past PSR to verify the validity of the review. Regulators and plant operators should con-tinue to make bilateral efforts through PSR and deliver improvements of safety throughout the plant life.