What happened
The Nuclear Regulatory Authority has amended the rules governing authorisation for nuclear facilities. The changes cover site approval, manufacturing permits, use of off-the-shelf products and commissioning.
Manufacturing of equipment considered important to safety will be subject to a manufacturing permit from the authority. A permit holder may not begin making equipment, semi-finished items or components until the authority has notified it of the relevant control points.
Permit applications must include a manufacturing-specific quality assurance document, a list of safety-relevant equipment and the proposed manufacturing timetable. Where ready-made products are used, the operator must submit its verification activities and schedule at least 10 working days in advance and obtain the authority’s positive opinion.
Site investigations for nuclear power plants may begin only after documents demonstrating that the management system complies with regulation, together with general and specific quality assurance documents, have been submitted. After site approval, a non-confidential summary of the site report will be published in a format selected by the authority.
Why it matters
Companies involved in nuclear-facility supply chains will need to build regulatory review periods into manufacturing and procurement plans. The new process requires more detailed quality, equipment and scheduling information before production can proceed.
The requirements also affect organisations preparing tests and commissioning activities. Changes to quality plans or test programmes that could alter success criteria, inspection scope, work steps, preconditions or results must be notified before work or testing starts.
What's next
Material updates to quality plans and test programmes must be submitted at least 10 working days before the relevant work or test begins. Lists of commissioning tests and the test programmes and procedures specified by the authority must be filed at least 20 working days before testing. Results from each completed test must be sent to the authority within 10 working days.
