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Conducting Nuclear Power Plant Technology Assessments


IAEA Workshop Discusses Assessments of Water-cooled Reactor Technology

20 November 2008 – More than 50 experts from 35 countries gathered in Vienna from 17 to 20 November 2008 to exchange information on planning and conducting technology assessments of nuclear reactor designs, with a focus on water-cooled reactor technology.

"A technology assessment is an exercise conducted by a country to determine which of the available nuclear reactor designs may meet its needs and requirements", explained Mr. Russ Clark, Acting Director of the Division of Nuclear Power in the IAEA Department of Nuclear Energy, who opened the IAEA Workshop on ‘Steps for Conducting Nuclear Power Plant Technology Assessment’. "It is an activity that starts before the decision to launch a nuclear power programme is made and continues during the preparatory phases together with many other activities".

International and IAEA experts discussed technology assessments of nuclear reactor designs at an IAEA Workshop on 17–20 October 2008
International and IAEA experts discussed technology assessments of nuclear reactor designs at an IAEA Workshop on 17–20 October 2008.
(Photo: M. Gladyshev, IAEA)

The technology assessment process has many interactions with the rest of the nuclear infrastructure development process, including assessing national capabilities and defining the degree of national participation in a nuclear power programme. Also, appropriate sites for a plant need to be identified; fuel cycle policies must be established as well as a national strategy and plan for deploying nuclear energy systems. Finally the design of a nuclear power plant and associated nuclear technologies need to be selected, including preparation of bid documents and bid evaluation.

In addition to a focus on planning and conducting technology assessments for nuclear energy systems, the Workshop also addressed general concerns and needs of Member States during the planning phase of initiating and/or expanding a nuclear power programme.

The meeting addressed a range of topics including:

  • The preparatory process for a new nuclear power plant project
  • General considerations in technology assessment
  • Key areas of technical assessment of nuclear power plant designs and performance
  • Water-cooled reactor and other nuclear power plant designs
  • Specific steps in conducting a technology assessment

In addition, experts from countries which already have undertaken or currently are conducting technology assessments shared their experiences with first-time technology users, whose special needs were also an item of discussion.

An IAEA draft report on ‘Technology Assessment in the Introduction of Nuclear Power’, presented at the workshop, benefited from participants´ comments and input; it is expected to be finalized during the first half of 2009. This report and the outcome of the workshop will provide a methodology for conducting technology assessments of nuclear power plant programmes.

&We are not assessing any specific reactor designs available on the market; rather, we are focussing on the process", said Mr. Rayman Sollychin, a nuclear engineer from the IAEA Nuclear Power Technology Development Section who served as Workshop Director. "Member States will be able to use the methodology and choose the design that best suits their needs".

The IAEA Workshop on ‘Steps for Conducting Nuclear Power Plant Technology Assessment’ was held within the IAEA Technical Cooperation Project INT/4/141 on ‘Status and Prospects of Development for and Application of Innovative Reactor Concepts for Developing Countries’.

Related resources:

Workshop Website

IAEA Division of Nuclear Power

Department of Technical Cooperation