HTGR Knowledge Base

Conference Article: An overview of the licensing approach of the South African nuclear regulatory authority

Abstract

This paper describes the approach adopted by the South African Nuclear Regulatory Authority, the Council for Nuclear Safety (CNS) in licensing nuclear installations in South Africa. An introduction to the current South African legislation and the CNS philosophy pertaining to the licensing of nuclear installations is discussed. A typical process for granting a nuclear licence is then presented. The risk assessment process, which is used to verify compliance with the fundamental safety standards and to establish licensing requirements for a specific nuclear installation, is discussed. Based on the outcome of this assessment process, conditions of licence are set down. The generic content of a nuclear licence and mechanisms to ensure ongoing compliance with the risk criteria are presented. The regulatory process discussed in this paper, based on such a fundamental approach, may be adapted to any type of nuclear installation taking into account plant specific designs and characteristics.

view the full text of this article (13 pages, format: PDF, size= 613kB)

Reference:

Technical committee meeting on high temperature gas cooled reactor technology development. Johannesburg (South Africa). 13-15 Nov 1996.

International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

IAEA-TECDOC--988, pp:139-151