Chapter 10 INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATIONaerb.mindspacetech.com/images/PDF/Annual_report... · A three member delegation led by Mr. Fred Dermarkar, President & CEO, CANDU Owners Group

105AERB Annual Report - 2017

India is a contracting party in the framework of several international instruments promulgated for establishing a global regime for cooperation in promoting safety in facilities/activities. Pursuant to this, AERB actively participates and contributes in several multi-lateral international platforms working for promotion of nuclear / radiological safety in facilities/activities across the globe. AERB has entered into bilateral arrangements/agreements with the regulatory authorities of several other countries.

10.1 STRENGTHENING NUCLEAR SAFETY AND SECURITY

10.1.1 Bilateral Meeting between AERB and USNRC

The 15th bilateral meeting between Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) took place at Maryland, USA during March 6-10, 2017. The bilateral technical meeting included the observation of the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS) ingestion pathway evaluated exercise as well as visit to Phoenix National SAFER Response Center to view emergency backup equipment as U.S. industry’s post-Fukushima safety enhancements. On March 10, 2017 the NRC and the AERB delegation participated in the bilateral technical meeting. The aspects related to regulatory structure of AERB, its functioning and the legal provisions empowering the regulatory body were highlighted by AERB during the meeting. AERB also provided information on new reactor construction, newly published regulatory documents and challenges with public communication. NRC provided information on current operating reactor issues, new reactor construction materials, oversight and area of interest for research. The preparedness for

nuclear emergency in both the countries was also discussed.

10.1.2 Visit of CANDU Owners Group (COG) delegation to AERB

A three member delegation led by Mr. Fred Dermarkar, President & CEO, CANDU Owners Group (COG) visited AERB and held discussions with senior management of AERB on June 01, 2017. The discussions primarily focused on sharing of information on the progress made on pressure tube leakage incidents of KAPS and evolving an information exchange mechanism.

10.1.3 NEA Delegation Commends AERB

A four member delegation of Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) led by Mr. William D. Magwood, Director General, NEA held a meeting with senior management of AERB in Mumbai on November 21, 2017. India participates in technical committees of NEA such as Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Affairs (CNRA), Committee on Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) and NEA Working Groups as an adhoc-invitee. In addition, India also participates in activities related to various Task Groups and projects of NEA. During the joint meeting, both

Chapter 10

INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION

Delegation of CANDU Owners Group (COG)


AERB and NEA emphasised strengthening the nuclear safety through collaborative activities. NEA elaborated on the lessons learnt from Fukushima accident and various measures taken to implement the new insights. Director General, NEA appreciated the technical expertise which AERB is bringing to NEA and advocated for further strengthening of AERB participation in NEA activities. He informed the decision of NEA Steering Committee to upgrade the status of India from ‘Adhoc-Invitee’ to ‘Participant’ and handed over letter inviting India to join CNRA and subsidiary bodies as ‘Participant’.

10.1.4 Visit of Japanese Delegation to AERB

India and Japan, recently, entered into a Bilateral Agreement for the co-operation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. In order to take forward the bilateral co-operation and to explore the area of future co-operation, a two member delegation led by Dr. Kazuhiro Tsuzuki, Senior fellow, the Institute of Applied Energy (IAE) visited AERB on December 5, 2017 and interacted with AERB Sr. Management. The delegation had prepared questionnaire covering aspects of regulatory framework of India, relationship of AERB with international bodies, status of legislation related to nuclear safety etc. which was discussed in the meeting. Dr. Tsuzuki briefed on the Japanese nuclear policy, present status of operating as well as under construction NPPs in Japan, ongoing decommissioning activities at NPP

site, decommissioning of Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP and status of Rokkasho reprocessing plant.

10.1.5 Visit of URENCO Team to AERB

A two member team from URENCO Ltd. along with Prof. Nawal Kant Prinja, Technology Director, Clean Energy, Wood PLC, UK visited AERB on December 20, 2017. The delegation discussed on the concept of Uranium Battery (U-Battery) and the regulatory processes/challenges associated with it in India. Apart

participated in the discussion. Uranium battery is being developed by a consortium of companies led by URENCO, utilising international expertise and capabilities. U-Battery is a micro nuclear reactor powered by TRISO fuel which will be able to produce power and heat for a range of energy needs. The regulations associated with these types of technologies in India were explained to the foreign delegation. The information shared during the discussion was informative and enriching.

10.1.6 Meeting of the RPWG of International VVER Regulator Forum

The 5th meeting of Reactor Physics Working Group (RPWG) of International VVER Regulator Forum was organised by AERB at the Safety Research Institute (SRI), Kalpakkam, during

RPWG member countries (Russian Federation, Germany, Hungary and India), eleven participants


from AERB, BARC and NPCIL participated in the meeting. The meeting provided a platform for knowledge sharing on the recent developments in computational methods used for neutronics and thermal hydraulic analysis of VVER type NPPs and eventually, the opportunity for collaborative activities.

10.1.7 CANDU PSA Working Group

The CANDU PSA Working Group (CPWG) organised the annual meeting at Ottawa, Canada during October 23-27, 2017. The meeting was attended by 18 members of CPWG member countries operating CANDU type reactors. Four presentations were made by India. The presentations included current status of PSA activities, use of

of plant damage states of Level-1 PSA, regulatory review process and a status update of previous tasks on CANDU PSA.

10.1.8 CANDU Senior Regulators’ Meet

The CANDU Senior Regulators’ Meet (CSRM) was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina during November 13-17, 2017. The meeting was attended by representatives from nuclear regulatory bodies of Argentina, Canada, China, India, Korea, Pakistan and Romania. Presentations were made by India on coolant Channel life management and

service for long term operation (LTO) and update on incidents of leakage from the coolant channels in KAPS- 1&2 units. The meeting provided a technical platform to interact with senior regulators of other CANDU countries and discuss the current issues such severe accident management, operating experience feedback, post-Fukushima safety enhancements etc.

10.2 INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENT

10.2.1 Bilateral Arrangement between AERB and BAERA, Bangladesh

An arrangement was signed on April 08, 2017 between the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory

Authority (BAERA) for the exchange of technical information and co-operation in the regulation of nuclear safety and radiation protection. The arrangement will enable, among other things, sharing of knowledge and expertise on various issues related to nuclear and radiation safety, education and training of the regulatory personnel and relevant assistance related to development of regulatory requirements.

10.3 CONTRIBUTION IN INTERNATIONAL PEER REVIEW

10.3.1 Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS)

Nuclear Safety on March 31, 2005. The objectives of the Convention are to achieve and maintain a high level of nuclear safety worldwide, to establish and maintain effective defences in nuclear installations against potential radiological hazards, in order to protect individuals, society and the environment from harmful effects of ionising radiation from such installations; and to prevent accidents with radiological consequences and to mitigate such consequences, should they occur. The Convention places certain obligations on the States operating nuclear power plants. The obligations are based on the principles contained in the IAEA Safety Fundamentals document "Fundamental Safety Principles (SF-1)" and cover for instance, siting, design, construction, operation, the availability

assurance and emergency preparedness.

The Convention has a peer review process, wherein the Contracting Parties are required to submit national reports on the implementation of their obligations for "peer review" at the meetings of the Contracting Parties, to be held at the IAEA. These review meetings are held once every three years. The 7th review meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention on Nuclear Safety was held at the Headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria from March 27 to April 7, 2017. Total 77 Contracting Parties participated in the review meeting.


India submitted its National Report for review by the Contracting Parties on August 15, 2016. The report updated how the Government of India

6 through 19 of the Convention. All land-based NPPs including storage, handling and treatment facilities for radioactive materials attached to the NPP and directly related to the operation of NPPs were covered in the national report. This report also addressed the national position with regard to the Vienna Declaration on Nuclear Safety for the implementation of the objectives of the CNS that was adopted on February 9, 2015. India received a total of 224 questions on this National Report and provided answers to all these questions within the stipulated time.

An Indian Delegation led by Chairman, AERB, with experts from AERB, BARC, NPCIL and the Indian Embassy at Vienna, participated in the review meeting. The presentation and peer review of the National Report of India was held on March 29, 2017 in Country Group (CG-7), for preparation of the Country Review Report. The Indian presentation was well received and all the questions were satisfactorily answered by the Indian delegation.

Indian delegation also organised a side event on March 28, 2017 and shared experience on the Pressure Tube (PT) leak events at KAPS units and their status of investigations.

The National Report to the CNS along with answers to the questions posed on the report and the country review reports have been uploaded on the AERB’s website.

Chairman and Executive Director, AERB in 7th CNS review meeting at IAEA

10.4 AERB’s PARTICIPATION IN IAEA IRRS MISSION FOR OTHER COUNTRIES

The IAEA Integrated Regulatory Review Service (IRRS) is designed to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of the national regulatory infrastructure of States for nuclear, radiation, radioactive waste and transport safety. The intention is to peer-review the regulatory framework of the host country so as to make it a robust regulatory body with respect to all its regulated facilities and activities.

the IRRS mission of Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Nigeria during July 2- 12 2017 as IAEA-IRRS team member. The review was carried out against the IAEA safety standards and requirements.

10.5 AERB’s PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEES

AERB experts have been actively participating in various activities of IAEA and have been contributing at various other international fora. AERB is the national coordinator for IAEA- International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) based reporting of events and IAEA/NEA - Incident Reporting System (IRS) and Fuel Incident

AERB participates in various Technical and Consultants’ meetings organised by IAEA on a range of topics for NPPs, fuel cycle facilities, radiation facilities, transportation of radioactive


materials. AERB has been participating in IAEA Coordinated Research Programme (IAEA-CRP) and NEA joint projects and information exchange programmes.

10.5.1 Participation of AERB in the NEA/MDEP Activities

AERB continued to coordinate the activities related to India’s participation in the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). During the period AERB experts contributed in the following programmes:

CSNI activity on benchmark on the seismic capacity of reinforced concrete shear walls (CASH) at Paris, France.

meeting of the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activates Working Group on inspection practices.

For Multi-unit PSA, inputs were provided for the two documents being prepared by the NEA-WGRISK Working Group on the

CFD simulations for different tests for assessing the recombiner performance have been carried out by AERB experts, as part of OECD/NEA upcoming ‘Thermal–hydraulics, Hydrogen, Aerosols and Iodine Project’ (THAI-3).

As part of OECD/NEA MDEP VVERWG TESG-SA (Severe Accident), AERB position on PARs and ESBO were provided for preparing the common position of various regulators. These include challenges addressing hydrogen recombiner’s reliability and effectiveness during the plant life and understanding of the strategies and challenges in addressing extended station blackout.

10.5.2 AERB’s Activities as MDEP Member

The Multinational Design Evaluation Program (MDEP) is a multilateral co-operational program amongst the national nuclear regulatory bodies. The objective of the program is to

Shri D. K. Shukla, Executive Director, AERB along with participants of 31st Steering Technical Committee of MDEP at IAEA, Vienna


enhance multilateral co-operation; to encourage multinational convergence of codes, standards and safety goals and implement the MDEP products in order to facilitate the licensing of new reactors. However, national regulators retain sovereign authority for all licensing and regulatory decisions.

AERB is a member of the MDEP since 2012. The current membership of MDEP consists of 15 national nuclear regulatory bodies. These are Canada, People's Republic of China, Finland, France, Hungary, India, Japan, Korea, Russian Federation, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States.

AERB continued its association with the MDEP in Policy Group, Steering Technical Committee and few of the design and issue

EPR, VVER and AP1000 reactors and also in issue

and Control (DICWG), Vendor Inspection Cooperation (VICWG) and Codes and Standards (CSWG).

During the year, AERB actively participated and contributed in following meetings:

MDEP Conference on New Reactor Design Activities & MDEP Policy Group Meeting

MDEP VVER Technical Experts sub-group on RPV & primary circuits

MDEP meeting: 39th meeting of CNRA & 62nd meeting of CSNI

Participated in the 15th meeting of the AP1000WG

Participated in Steering Technical Committee Meeting (STC) of MDEP and International Conference on topical issues in Nuclear Safety

Participated in MDEP Digital Instrumentation and Control Working Group (DICWG) meeting

10.5.3 Other International Meetings/Training/Workshops

During the year, AERB experts participated in following international meetings:

6th meeting of PSA Working Group of WWER Regulatory forum at Prague, Czech RepublicWorkshop pertaining to round robin analysis on ‘Improving the Robustness Assessments Methodologies for Structures Impacted by Large Missile at Medium Velocity (IRIS), Phase-III: Induced Vibration’ at EDF Lab Paris-Saclay, FranceExpert faculty in the IAEA Workshop on Safety Aspects of Long Terms Operation (SALTO) on Civil Structures at Angra NPP, BrazilIndo-US Technical Exchange Programmme on Security by DesignIPPAS (International Physical Protection Advisory Services) Workshop3rd Mongolia-India Working Group MeetingRegional Training Couse (RTC) on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Facilities organised by Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), Tokai, JapanPlenary Session Talk during the 37th Annual Conference of Canadian Nuclear Society

10.5.4 Participation of AERB in IAEA Activities

participated and contributed in the following Technical and Consultancy meetings by IAEA:

7th Convention on Nuclear Safety (CNS)Meeting of Commission on Safety Standards (CSS)Technical Meeting on the CANDU Senior RegulatorsReview Meeting of IAEA IGALL (International Generic Aging Lessons Learnt) Phase-3 Working Group 3 on Civil Structures


Meeting of WWER Regulatory Forum

Meeting of PSA Working Group of WWER Regulatory Forum

International Conference on Topical Issues in Nuclear Installation Safety: Safety Demonstration of Advance Water Cooled NPP.

ISO/TC85/SC2 & WG Meeting on Radiological Protection

Consultancy Meeting to review and revise the INES User's Manual 2008.

Meeting of Transport Safety Standards Committee (TRANSSC)

61st Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference Member of Indian Delegation

IAEA National Workshop on Review and Assessment by the Regulatory Body.

Annual Meeting of the INES Advisory Committee (INES-AC)

Technical Meeting on CANDU Probabilistic Safety Assessment

Consultancy meeting to Develop the International Reporting System, Blue Book-201502017 (7th edition)

Technical Meeting on Recent Development in International and National Management System Standards, Including Quality Management Aspects

International Conference on Radiation Protection in Medicine: Achieving Change in Practice

53rd meeting of the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activates working Group on inspection practices.

IAEA Conferences / Workshops / Training Programmes on various themes of interest:

Workshop on Advances in Understanding the Progression of Severe Accidents in Boiling Water Reactors at IAEA

IRIS Phase III Benchmark Workshop

Shri D. K. Shukla, Executive Director, AERB along with participants of Annual Meeting of INES-AC


Workshop on ‘Regulatory Supervision of Fuel Cycle Facilities’

Train the Trainers Workshop on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.

Workshop for Senior Managers on Leadership and Culture for Safety

Workshop on use of a Harmonised Safety Culture Framework

Regional Workshop and Table Top Exercise on Management of the

Response to Nuclear Security Event at NPP

Pilot Workshop on Arrangement for the Termination of a Nuclear or Radiological Emergency.

Training course at ICTP-IAEA International School on ‘Nuclear Security’

IAEA National Workshop on Review and Assessment by the Regulatory Body.

Chapter 10 INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATIONaerb.mindspacetech.com/images/PDF/Annual_report... · A three member delegation led by Mr. Fred Dermarkar, President & CEO, CANDU Owners Group

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