On May 9-11, 2023, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s (NRC’s) International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) conducted a 3-day meeting with Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA). The objective of the meeting was to support the preparations for a construction permit application for three Westinghouse AP1000 pressurized water reactors.
The meeting was held in Warsaw, Poland and was conducted by subject matter experts Ms. Sabrina Atack, Deputy Director of the NRC’s Office of International Programs, and Mr. Mark Tonacci, NRC contractor, Advanced Systems Technology and Management, Inc. (AdSTM). Discussions included the overall preparations and schedule development for the project and included: staffing, training, computer systems, guidance preparation, and licensing actions. The team spent time discussing future NRC support for PAA staff and developing a plan to implement the support. The plan includes PAA staff coming to the United States for on-the-job training of NRC’s licensing and inspection programs. Further discussions on capacity building for the PAA will be ongoing. The PAA management team was actively engaged throughout the duration of the meeting, sharing the significant progress made and challenges to be addressed.