Industrial Involvement To Support A National Nuclear Power Programme

This publication, an update of Technical Reports Series No. 281, provides guidance in making the many considerations and decisions involved in preparing national industrial organizations for participation in a nuclear power programme, including those that will participate in the construction and commissioning of the first nuclear power plant units. Roles and responsibilities of government, industry, utility and other stakeholders are detailed.

The development and implementation of an appropriate infrastructure to support the successful introduction of nuclear power and its safe, secure, peaceful and sustainable application is an issue of central concern, especially for countries that are considering and planning their first nuclear power plant. In preparing the necessary nuclear infrastructure, there are several activities that need to be completed. These activities can be split into three progressive phases of development. This publication provides a description of the conditions expected to be achieved by the end of each phase to assist with the best use of resources. 'Milestones' refer to the conditions necessary to demonstrate that the phase has been successfully completed.

This guidebook summarizes the experience of individual countries on the role of the R&D organization in developing their nuclear power programmes.

This publication provides guidance to countries seeking to establish a national position on the introduction or re-establishment of a nuclear power programme. It provides direction to political decision makers, energy experts, and other stakeholders about the process for establishing a national position as countries prepare national nuclear energy policies. It also helps embarking countries to build a consistent and durable national position for nuclear power on the basis of sound energy planning and greater public involvement in order to maintain the countrys long term commitment, regardless of possible political changes in a country.

The development of the infrastructure for a nuclear power programme includes the establishment of policies and strategies in areas such as human resource development, nuclear fuel cycle and waste management, industrial involvement and nuclear safety. It also requires the establishment of a legal and regulatory framework that creates an environment enabling the project to be implemented in a transparent and effective manner. These elements of this infrastructure will have an impact on the project and will guide the discussions of the future owner/operator with potential vendors. In this regard, it is important that the owner/operator, if already identified, participates in this process from the beginning. This publication provides information on the establishment and development of the owner/operator so that it can discharge its responsibilities throughout the phases of the programme. It also discusses the management of the interfaces between the owner/operator and other stakeholders.

Member States intending to introduce a nuclear power programme will need to pass through several phases during the implementation. Experience shows that careful planning of the objectives, roles, responsibilities, interfaces and tasks to be carried out in different phases of a nuclear project is important for success. This publication presents a harmonized approach that may be used to structure the owner/operator management system and establish and manage nuclear projects and their development activities irrespective of the adopted approach. It has been developed from shared management practices and consolidated experiences provided by nuclear project management specialists through a series of workshops and working groups organized by the IAEA. The resultant publication presents a useful framework for the management of nuclear projects from initiation to closeout and captures international best practices.