For the first time, a joint review has been carried out by three European safety regulators on the safety options of a small modular reactor project

ASN publishes the lessons learned from the review conducted jointly with its Finnish (STUK) and Czech (SUJB) counterparts regarding the safety options of the NUWARD SMR ^[1] reactor project, developed by a subsidiary of EDF.

This joint review, performed at the initiative of ASN, was a European first. Its aim was to examine the safety options of certain topics proposed for the design of the NUWARD reactor, notably the safety approach and objectives, the use of passive systems and the inclusion of two reactors within the same facility.

By means of a concrete example, this review identified the safety advantages of small modular reactors, along with the questions to which they could give rise. It also compared the various requirements, practices and experiences of the three regulators involved and identified the opportunities for changes to national regulations and practices. Following this review, NUWARD now has data allowing the development of a more standardised design.

The closing report from this multilateral cooperation presents the programme and the working method adopted, along with the main lessons learned.

This initiative confirms ASN’s position regarding the benefits to be gained from multilateral cooperation when reviewing sufficiently mature reactor projects, in an international context of standardisation.

Discussions are under way for continuation of the joint review of the NUWARD reactor project, addressing new topics and expanding the programme to include other European safety regulators.

[1] The NUWARD SMR project is an electricity production unit concept consisting of two pressurised water nuclear reactors of 170 MWe each. This project falls within the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) category.