IRDP sponsored an extended siting review workshop for the Forum of Nuclear Regulatory Bodies in Africa (FNRBA). The workshop held October 18-21, 2010, was hosted by the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) of South Africa. This workshop was part of the second meeting of the FNRBA’s thematic working group on regulatory infrastructure for nuclear power plants. The countries represented at this workshop included Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Libya, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, and South Africa.
The workshop covered in detail the requirements and guidance associated with reviewing an application for approval of a site for a nuclear power plant. The training was based on information contained in two generic documents previously developed by the IRDP: G-TR-S, “Reactor siting safety requirements,” and G-RG-S, “Reactor siting risk-informed review guide.” Topics covered in the training included natural and man-made hazards to plant safety and the assessment of emergency planning options. This is the first time AdSTM presented the Siting Review Workshop in an extended format, extended from original 2-day to 4-day format, with enhanced focus on risk-significant topics such as seismic, electric grid reliability, flooding, and emergency planning. Additionally the course detailed the regulatory processes used by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for licensing site applications. This course was facilitated by AdSTM trainers and observed by NRC representatives.