Preparing for regulating Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs) Elspeth McGregor

New Reactors Division

Office for Nuclear Regulation

Contents

• Our regulatory philosophy

• Background to and objectives of our work on

Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs)

• ONR’s ANT team

• ONR’s work on ANTs:

• Mature Technology Small Modular Reactors (MT SMRs)

• Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs)

• International cooperation

• Next steps

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Our regulatory philosophy

ONR’s regulatory philosophy

• Goal setting – (mostly) non-prescriptive

• Targets developing and sustaining an open and effective

dialogue with dutyholders positive and enabling approach

overall

• Overarching requirements of our regulatory work are ensuring

that risks are reduced As Low As Reasonably Practicable

(ALARP)

• Use of Relevant Good Practice (RGP) is at the core of the

demonstration of ALARP

4

ONR’s regulatory philosophy

ONR’s regulatory philosophy is

underpinned by a risk-informed framework

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http://www.onr.org.uk/documents

/2017/risk-informed-regulatory-

decision-making.pdf

6

Background to our work on

Advanced Nuclear Technologies

(ANTs)

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2016

• ONR provided technical

and regulatory input (to UK

Government) during Phase

1 of the SMR competition in

2016

• Competition provided useful

insights into smaller reactor

market

• Government believes

different measures needed

for the sub-sets of this

diverse market

October 2017

“The Government is also announcing that it will invest £7 million to further develop the capability and capacity of the nuclear regulators to support the development of advanced technologies”

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/651916/BEIS_The_Clean_Growth_online_12.10.17.pdf

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https://apply-for-

innovation-

funding.service.g

ov.uk/competition

/80/overview

December 2017:

Department for

Business, Energy and

Industrial Strategy

(BEIS) launches

“SBRI: nuclear

advanced modular

reactors (AMRs),

feasibility and

development”

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Objectives of our work on ANTs

ONR’s initial objectives on ANTs

ONR has put in place plans to:

• Develop the capability and capacity

needed to regulate advanced nuclear

technologies (ANTs)

• Ensure that regulators’ processes and

guidance are fit for the purpose of

regulating ANTs

• Provide advice to BEIS’ AMR competition

• Engage with the ANT industry

• Increase engagement with international

regulators

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Acting as enablers

and champions for

innovation in the

nuclear landscape

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ONR’s ANT team

Where are ANTs in ONR?

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Advanced Modular

Reactors (AMRs)

EPR

Regulation

HPR1000

Regulation ABWR

Regulation NuGen

Regulation

New Reactors

Division

Advanced

Nuclear

Technologies

ANT Delivery

Management

Group Lead

Mature

Technology SMRs

AMR Competition

Delivery Management

Group Lead

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ONR’s work on ANTs:

Mature Technology (MT) SMRs

Key Activities

• Engagement with the MT SMR industry

• Review of the regulatory processes

• Review of regulatory guidance

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Engagement with MT SMR developers Commenced in November 2017

We aim to achieve:

• An understanding by the vendors of the regulators’ key

expectations and requirements of the safety, security and

environmental justifications to be submitted ahead of future

deployment in the UK (e.g. in support of design assessment)

• An understanding by regulators of the technology and its

proposed deployment and operation, as well as of the current

status of the vendors’ safety, security and environmental

assessments and justifications

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Will provide useful information for our focused

regulatory review of guidance & processes

Engagement with MT SMR developers

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Stage 1

Opening

engagement

Single 4 h

session

In the April to

May 2018

window

Stage 3

Close-out

engagement

Single 4 h

session

In the Jan to

Mar 2019

window

Stage 2

Main engagement

Four sessions (up to 12 h over 2 days)

In the July to Nov 2018 window

1. Design and operation (vendor-led)

2. Nuclear safety (ONR-led)

3. Nuclear security (ONR-led)

4. Environment (EA-led)

At BEIS’s (UK Government)

invitation

Industry

engagement

event

23 Nov 2017

Key topic seminars

Feb & March 2018

(recorded for future use)

1. UK goal-setting legislation

2. UK nuclear safety case structure

Group engagement • Open to all

• Not specific to any one design

1-to-1 engagement

• Closed and confidential

• Specific to each vendor and its design

Review of the design assessment process

• ONR and the Environment Agency (EA) the UK environmental regulator, already have a well established design assessment process: Generic Design Assessment (GDA)

• GDA has been used successfully for UK EPR™, AP1000® and UK ABWR; it is on-going for UK HPR1000 - www.onr.org.uk/newreactors

• GDA is an upfront, step-wise assessment of a generic design

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• Objective is identifying and

resolving key issues with the

design long before construction –

project risk reduction (for

vendor and regulators)

• Openness, transparency and

public input – building public

confidence

• GDA is not a formal regulatory /

legislative requirement

Review of the design assessment process

• GDA was originally developed on the premise of “large” established or available reactor designs

• Lessons have been learnt from previous GDAs but the underlying objective for GDA still remains valid

• We are looking at options to develop a more flexible design assessment process (and seeking to improve efficiency), which:

• Can accommodate ANT technology and requirements

• Remains consistent with previous GDAs

• Achieves the same objectives

• Provides an enabling approach to ANT development and deployment

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Assessment guidance

• Guidance is provided in the SAPs

and SyAPs

• These are principles to be

followed by ONR when assessing

safety / security submissions

• Provide frameworks for consistent

regulatory judgement

• Aligned with IAEA standards and

guidance

• Supported by more detailed

guidance

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Review of ONR assessment guidance: progress

• Initial review of ONR’s SAPs has been conducted looking at their

applicability to ANTs

• Almost all the SAPs apply and are flexible enough to deal with

ANTs

• Some SAPs may have increased prominence for ANTs, eg:

• ST.6 on multi-facility sites

• Some areas have been identified where additional guidance may

be required, eg, judging the adequacy of the deployment model

(multiple units)

• We are considering the need to develop an additional Technical

Assessment Guide (TAG) for ANTs

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Review of assessment guidance: way forward

• The output from the current phase of the project will be

recommendations for the development of guidance, and a plan to

implement these recommendations

• Any updated or new guidance will be developed in the next

phase of work

• The plan for the development of guidance will be informed by

consideration of the proposed design options to better

understand the challenges relating to ANTs

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ONR’s work on ANTs:

Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs)

Our work on AMRs

• Provision of advice to BEIS’ (UK Government department for

Business Energy and Industrial Strategy) AMR competition

• Development of regulatory capability and capacity needed to

regulate AMRs

• Identification of what is needed to ensure that regulators’

processes and guidance are fit for the purpose of regulating

AMRs

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SBRI: nuclear advanced modular

reactors, feasibility and

development

In addition, you will need to submit a

report (as a standalone annex to the

main feasibility report) summarising the

technology’s main safety, security and

environmental features. This report will

be reviewed by the Office for Nuclear

Regulation and the Environment Agency

(the regulators), who will provide

feedback.

To be successful you must also:

• make sure the regulators have a

clear understanding of your proposed

design. This may require additional

discussion with the regulators

• meet regularly with the government’s

appointed representatives to provide

updates on progress and to provide

information on approach and

methodologies.

Regulatory involvement in AMR competition

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BEIS’ AMR Programme (administered by InnovateUK) was launched in December 2017:

• Phase 1 (December 2017 to March 2019): funding up to £4 million to undertake 8 feasibility studies for AMR designs

ONR/EA involvement to assess regulatory confidence (safety, security and environment sections of the feasibility reports) and provide input to selection for phase 2

• Phase 2 (March 2019 to March 2021): subject to government approval, up to £40 million could be available for selected projects from phase 1 to undertake development activities

ONR/EA involvement being developed and will focus on supporting AMR vendors as they move towards design assessment

Regulatory involvement in AMR competition

June 2018 – Industry Workshop

• ONR/EA will present the regulatory aspects of BEIS’ AMR competition:

regulatory criteria and guidance

• Single-day workshop for those vendors pre-selected by BEIS to produce

feasibility studies in Phase 1

• Aim is to provide vendors with an understanding of regulatory expectations,

criteria and the level of safety / security / environmental information required in

the feasibility studies.

Winter 2018/2019 – Assessment Period

• ONR/EA will assess safety, security and environment sections of feasibility

studies

• There will be an individual engagement with vendors to discuss feedback /

unclear aspects of the submission

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Progress

• ONR’s AMR team has conducted an exercise to familiarise with

Generation IV technologies (September 2017 to January 2018).

• This has served as the basis for:

• Development of the regulatory aspects of BEIS’ AMR competition regulatory criteria and guidance

• Initial identification of issues that we may face in the regulation of AMRs

• Initial identification of skill gaps development of a training plan

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Way forward

• Support the AMR programme and engage with the AMR vendors

in line with our plan

• Continue the familiarisation exercise focused on specific areas

that we have identified (e.g. materials).

• Develop a consolidated list of areas where we need additional

information or guidance for assessors the output from the

current phase of the project will be recommendations for the

development of guidance, and a plan to implement these

recommendations

• Implementation of the training plan

• Further consideration to be given to how regulators could engage

wider with AMR vendors

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International cooperation

International activities on ANTs • A key objective for us is to strengthen engagement with international

regulators

• ONR is currently undertaking the following:

• Participation in the SMR Regulators’ Forum (under IAEA)

• Participation in the NEA’s Working Group on the Safety of Advanced Reactors

(WGSAR) – joined recently

• Multilateral / bilateral discussion with international regulators

• ONR anticipates extending the international activities related to ANTs

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Next steps

Next Steps • Continue to develop capability and capacity needed to

regulate ANTs (implementation of our training plan)

• Recommendations for the development of guidance,

and a plan to implement those recommendations

• MT-SMR design assessment process (additional

engagement needed for AMRs?)

• Input to BEIS’ AMR competition in terms of regulatory

confidence

• Continue the engagement with the ANT industry

• Continue and increase engagement with international

regulators

• Prepare to support BEIS on its other ANT related

policy development activities

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Acting as enablers

and champions for

innovation in the

nuclear landscape

34

Thank you!

Preparing for regulating Advanced Nuclear Technologies (ANTs) Elspeth McGregor

New Reactors Division

Office for Nuclear Regulation