6 Feb (NucNet): Any situation in which the hasty construction of a new nuclear power station takes precedence over careful development of a robust domestic safety infrastructure is of great concern, US Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman Allison Macfarlane has said.
Ms Macfarlane told the Platts Nuclear Energy Conference in Washington DC that an effective, independent regulator is essential – and should be established at the outset – before any decisions are made about sites or reactor designs.
She warned against possible political pressure to establish a nuclear power programme without an independent, well-funded, open and transparent regulatory body.
“Whether the programme would bring much-needed electricity, water desalination, regional or domestic prestige, or other benefits, some countries have put nuclear power on a fast track.”
The International Atomic Energy Agency’s guidance for countries considering nuclear power stipulates that an independent regulatory infrastructure must be in place, along with other critical infrastructure, before bids are invited, she said.
Ms Macfarlane said the Fukushima-Daiichi accident of March 2011 heightened the focus on nuclear safety and reminded everyone that accidents have global consequences.
While Fukushima-Daiichi was a catalyst for some countries’ decisions to cease nuclear power operations or abandon pursuit of a future nuclear programme, quite a few countries are moving forward with their plans – and many of these are new players, Ms Macfarlane said.
“Future development of small modular reactors may create a nuclear power option for additional countries that may not have the ability to support larger plants. Many of these countries lack basic critical infrastructure – from a sufficient power grid to the laws necessary to underpin a programme’s safe operation.”
As the most important factor for a regulator, she said “a regulator must have confidence that its decisions will not be overturned for political reasons”.
