15 Years of Safeguards-by-Design in Finland
Hämäläinen, Marko; Honkamaa, Tapani; Martikka, Elina; Moring, Mikael; Okko, Olli (2019-12-12)
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Hämäläinen, Marko
Honkamaa, Tapani
Martikka, Elina
Moring, Mikael
Okko, Olli
ESARDA
12.12.2019
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Tiivistelmä
The need to have good communication between the facility designers and the safeguards authorities
was realised in Finland in early 2000’s when new nuclear construction projects were authorised. Since
then the experiences obtained from different construction projects clearly point out the need to bring in
the safeguards requirements by the licensing body at an early stage of facility design.
Early preliminary design information is generated when the applicant is preparing the licensing
documentation before the construction of a facility begins. However, the Finnish experience showed
that the applicants/licensees were not able to submit formal design information to the safeguards
authorities for economic and contractual reasons. The need to have safeguards equipment and
infrastructure included in the design process throughout the facility development was not understood
by the applicants or licensees nor by the facility vendors or designers. On the other hand the
safeguards inspectorates were sometimes reluctant to accept the long design process and commit
themselves to continuous communication during the facility development instead of the tradition of
fitting safeguards to ready-built facilities. These shortcomings were avoided when authorising the new
nuclear installations in the 2010’s.
It became obvious that strong national involvement is needed to launch early communication between
the IAEA and the licensee and other stakeholders. This was enforced in Finland when the nuclear
safety regulations were updated in 2013 with the requirement to submit preliminary design information
shortly after the initial authorisation of a new construction project. The need of an early adaptation of
safeguards arrangements within the applicant’s organisation is essential also for the control of
sensitive information already before the contracted design process; and, for newcomer countries the
whole SSAC shall be established to facilitate the nuclear programme. Thus, raising awareness at old
and new stakeholders is an essential educational task within safeguards.
was realised in Finland in early 2000’s when new nuclear construction projects were authorised. Since
then the experiences obtained from different construction projects clearly point out the need to bring in
the safeguards requirements by the licensing body at an early stage of facility design.
Early preliminary design information is generated when the applicant is preparing the licensing
documentation before the construction of a facility begins. However, the Finnish experience showed
that the applicants/licensees were not able to submit formal design information to the safeguards
authorities for economic and contractual reasons. The need to have safeguards equipment and
infrastructure included in the design process throughout the facility development was not understood
by the applicants or licensees nor by the facility vendors or designers. On the other hand the
safeguards inspectorates were sometimes reluctant to accept the long design process and commit
themselves to continuous communication during the facility development instead of the tradition of
fitting safeguards to ready-built facilities. These shortcomings were avoided when authorising the new
nuclear installations in the 2010’s.
It became obvious that strong national involvement is needed to launch early communication between
the IAEA and the licensee and other stakeholders. This was enforced in Finland when the nuclear
safety regulations were updated in 2013 with the requirement to submit preliminary design information
shortly after the initial authorisation of a new construction project. The need of an early adaptation of
safeguards arrangements within the applicant’s organisation is essential also for the control of
sensitive information already before the contracted design process; and, for newcomer countries the
whole SSAC shall be established to facilitate the nuclear programme. Thus, raising awareness at old
and new stakeholders is an essential educational task within safeguards.