Issue 1

NUSAM NEWSLETTER

IAEA Launches Project on Nuclear Security Assessment Methodologies (NUSAM) for Regulated Facilities

May 2014

Editorial Committee: Mr. Abdul Shakoor, Mr. Richard Little, Ms. Tereza Malachova, and Mr. Sung Soon

Participants of the research coordination meeting, 17-21 March 2014, Vienna, Austria

IAEA has launched the

Coordinated Research

Project on Nuclear Securi-

ty Assessment Methodolo-

gies (NUSAM) for Regu-

lated Facilities. The first

research coordination

meeting was held from 17

to 21 March 2014; Vienna,

Austria, where 24 experts

from 13 Member States

participated the meeting.

The main objective of the

NUSAM project is to es-

tablish a risk-informed,

performance-based meth-

odological framework for

nuclear security assess-

ment. The framework will

be used to assess the nucle-

ar security of regulated fa-

cilities and activities in a

systematic, structured, and

comprehensive manner.

While the NUSAM project

may explore new approaches

to nuclear security assess-

ment, consistency with rec-

ommendations, require-

ments and guidance provid-

ed in current IAEA Nuclear

Security documents will be

maintained. A secondary

objective is to provide an

environment for the sharing

and transfer of knowledge

and experience, and to pro-

vide guidance on, and prac-

tical examples of good prac-

tice in security assessment.

The project is structured in

a manner where the use

and applicability of the

methodological framework

can be illustrated on a prac-

tical basis through the use

of case studies. While the

focus of the project is on the

overall assessment frame-

work, specific components

judged to be key compo-

nents in the methodology

will be explored and devel-

oped in more detail.

NUSAM partners

• Bangladesh, Bangladesh

Atomic Energy Commission

• Czech Republic, EBIS Co.

• Egypt, Egyptian Nuclear and Radiological Regulatory

Authority (ENRRA)

• Hungary, Hungarian Atomic

Energy Authority

• India, Bhabha Atomic Re-

search Centre (BARC)

• Japan, Japan Atomic Energy

Agency (JAEA)

• Netherland, URENCO

• Pakistan, Pakistan Nuclear Regulatory Authority

(PNRA)

• Korea, Korea Atomic Ener-gy Research Institute (KAERI) and Korea Institute of Nuclear Non-proliferation and Control

(KINAC)

• Sweden, Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Manage-ment Co. (SKB) and OKG

Aktiebolag (OKG AB)

• UK, National Nuclear La-

boratories (NNL)

• USA, Sandia National La-

boratories (SNL)

The NUSAM is a coordinated research project (http://cra.iaea.org) to develop risk-

informed performance-based methodological framework for nuclear

security assessment of regulated facilities and activities.

JOIN NUSAM

Be a part of an expert

group developing a

methodology to assess

nuclear security effec-

tiveness, resulting in

improved security world-

wide.

PAGE 2 NUSAM NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1

The NUSAM meth-

odology will be

used in

1. Design,

2. Evaluation,

3. Regulation, and

4. Self-Assessment

by

1. Operator,

2. Designer,

3. Regulator, and

4. Independent Con-

sultant

for

Nuclear fuel-cycle facil-ities and facilities asso-ciated with radioactive

materials including

1. Nuclear Power

Plant,

2. Irradiator Facility,

3. Transport of Mate-

rials,

4. LEU Fuel Fabrica-

tion Facility, and

5. Spent Fuel Storage

Facility.

Questions to Answer in the Project JOIN NUSAM

Share best practices in security assessment approaches. Identify

ways to use manual and computer tools to better

assess security effec-tiveness.

• How can we assess the overall security effectiveness of nuclear facili-

ties/activities in an integrated manner?

• How can we compare a primarily prescriptive assessment with a com-

plex performance assessment for decision making?

• Which tools/methodologies might be useful for application to the

range of different nuclear facilities/activities?

• How can a wide range of performance test results be incorporated

into a security assessment?

Provisional Methodological Framework

A provisional methodological

framework for the NUSAM Pro-

ject provides a high level sum-

mary of the key steps to be fol-

lowed when undertaking a se-

curity assessment. The Frame-

work focuses on the complete

risk management cycle that

includes setting the context,

conducting security assess-

ments, identifying the gaps and

potential improvements in the

system, implementing the up-

grades and managing the sys-

tem. The various working

groups will work on different

aspects of the Framework and

propose further improvements.

The NUSAM project is open to Institute/professionals from Member States who under-

take technical activities related to the assessment of the security of nuclear and other

radioactive materials, as well as associated facilities and activities

Participation in NUSAM project

PAGE 3 NUSAM NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1

Organizational Structure of the NUSAM

The NUSAM project con-

sists of a series of work-

ing groups with oversight

provided by a Coordi-

nating Group consisting

of working group leaders,

led by a chairperson and

supported by an IAEA

Scientific Secretary. The

Group provides oversight,

controls the scope of the

project and ensures that

the objectives of the pro-

ject are being achieved.

Essential Information Working Group

identify and manage asso-

ciated uncertainties.

This working group will

also identify and review

processes to develop, docu-

ment, and justify a set of

scenarios in order to per-

form comprehensive and

consistent nuclear security

assessments. During the

first year, the group will

prepare a draft report con-

taining a listing and evalu-

ation of identified tools and

approaches available to

Member States to perform

nuclear security assess-

ments. During the second

Analysis Working Group

The Analysis Working

Group will review and de-

velop risk-informed, per-

formance-based approach-

es and, tools in order to

perform nuclear security

assessments as well as to

year, the group will devel-

op a recommendation for

tools and approaches to

perform nuclear security

assessments for use in the

security case studies and

will interact with the Secu-

rity Case Study Working

Groups to ensure that the

products provide necessary

information needed to pro-

duce successful case stud-

ies. During the third year,

the group will interact

with the other groups to

resolve any inconsistencies

and to ensure complete-

ness.

port containing all key

components and infor-

mation necessary for nucle-

ar security assessments

will be produced. During

the second year, the Group

will continue to finalise the

working material and begin

interacting with the Securi-

ty Case Study Working

Groups to ensure that the

products provide infor-

The Essential Infor-

mation Working Group

will identify key compo-

nents and information

needed to perform securi-

ty assessments and key

information for the devel-

opment of a hypothetical

state to be used for the

Security Case Studies.

During the first year, it is

expected that a draft re-

mation needed to produce

successful case studies.

During the third year, the

Group will finalize its ex-

pected reports/documents

and interact with the other

groups with the significant

interaction between the

groups to resolve any in-

consistencies and to ensure

completeness.

Working Group

Leaders

Chairperson

Mr. Joseph Rivers, USA

Essential Information WG

Mr. Abdul Shakoor, Pakistan

Analysis WG

Mr. Joseph Rivers, USA

Nuclear Power Plant Case

Study WG

Ms. Tereza Malachova, Czech Republic

Irradiator Facility Case

Study WG

Mr. Jeremy Edwards, UK

Transport Case Study WG

Mr. Jan Strangebye, Sweden

LEU Fuel Fabrication and

Spent Fuel Storage Case

Study WGs

will start in 2015

PAGE 4 NUSAM NEWSLETTER ISSUE 1

Meeting of the Coor-

dinating Group

2—3 September 2014

Vienna, Austria

Chairperson and Working

Group Leaders

SharePoint Site

NUSAM Portal (SharePoint

Site) was formed under the

existing NUSEC portal of IAEA

(https://nusec.iaea.org).

This is a secured portal and the

NUSAM partners can obtain

the login information by send-

ing request to the Scientific

Secretary (S.Jang@iaea.org)

Upcoming Events

The NUSAM Plenary

Meeting

13—17 October 2014

Vienna, Austria

For more information on, and to

join NUSAM, please contact :

Mr. Sung Soon Jang

Phone: +43 1 2600 26638 Fax: +43 1 2600 29299

E-mail: S.Jang@iaea.org

Case Study Working Groups Nuclear Power Plant, Irradiator Facility, Transport, LEU fuel

fabrication, Spent Fuel Storage

Case Study Working

Groups will illustrate the

application of the

NUSAM methodological

framework. The develop-

ment of security cases will

provide a basis for discus-

sion of the many practical

issues encountered when

undertaking a nuclear

security assessment, with

the aim of reaching con-

sensus in as many areas

as possible.

A draft report containing a

detailed model of the facili-

ty/activity will be devel-

oped. Each working group

will enhance their model

based on information re-

ceived from the Essential

Information and Analysis

Working Groups, and per-

form the nuclear security

analysis using the recom-

mended methodological

framework.

Each working group will

interact with the other

groups with

the signifi-

cant interac-

tion between

the groups to

resolve any

inconsisten-

cies and to

ensure com-

pleteness.

At the NUSAM meeting of

17-21 March, the Nuclear

Power Plant WG, Irradi-

ator Facility WG and

Transport WG started to

collect relevant information

and to develop hypothetical

cases for assessment. The

work of the Irradiator Facil-

ity WG and Transport WG

will be completed within a

year and thereafter the

LEU Fuel Fabrication

WG and Spent Fuel Stor-

age WG will

be initiated

in 2015. The

work of Nu-

clear Power

Plant WG

will be com-

pleted with-

in two years.

Expected Outputs

• An enhanced risk-informed perfor-mance-based meth-odological frame-work for nuclear

security assessment

• Practical illustration of the methodologi-cal framework’s ap-plication to hypo-

thetical study cases

• Identification and review of tools/

methodologies

Time Scale

It is planned that the pro-ject will be executed over a period of up to three years. During this period, it is expected that the NUSAM project groups will meet every

six months.

Interface with other related IAEA Projects

The group will also

propose and

communicate any

potential

enhancements to the

methodological

framework.

relevant to the NUSAM

project. The objective is to

identify such projects and

establish interfaces with

those projects to avoid the

duplication and overlap-

ping. Some examples are

It was noted during the

meeting that IAEA Divi-

sion of Nuclear Security

is working on the develop-

ment of implementing

guides and technical ref-

erences which may be

the implementing guides on

“Physical Protection of Nu-

clear Material and Nuclear

Facilities” and “Security of

Nuclear Material in

Transport”.