Advanced Reactor Projects in Canada: Regulatory Status and Perspectives International SMR and Advanced Reactor Summit April 3, 2019 Westin Buckhead, Atlanta, GA Ramzi Jammal Executive Vice-President and Chief Regulatory Operations Officer Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Canadian Nuclear Commission canadienne Safety Commission de sûreté nucléaire
OUTLINE • Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) overview • Canadian status • New technologies • Regulatory readiness • Vendor design reviews nuclearsafety.gc.ca 2
CANADIAN NUCLEAR SAFETY COMMISSION OUR MANDATE IMPLEMENT REGULATE DISSEMINATE Canada's international the use of nuclear energy and objective scientific, technical and commitments on the peaceful use materials to protect health, safety, regulatory information to the public of nuclear energy and security and the environment OVER 70 YEARS OF REGULATORY EXPERIENCE 3 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
THE CNSC REGULATES ALL NUCLEAR FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES IN CANADA Uranium mines Industrial and Uranium fuel Nuclear Nuclear substance and mills medical applications fabrication and power plants processing processing Import and Waste Nuclear security Transportation Nuclear research export controls management and safeguards of nuclear and educational facilities substances activities OVER THE FULL LIFECYCLE OF THESE ACTIVITIES 4 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
CNSC STAFF LOCATED ACROSS CANADA Headquarters (HQ) in Ottawa 4 site offices at power plants 1 site office at Chalk River 4 regional offices FISCAL YEAR 2017–18 Saskatoon Calgary Point • Human resources: 857 full-time equivalents Lepreau HQ • Financial resources: $148 million ( ~70% cost recovery; ~30% appropriation) Chalk River Laval • Licensees: 1,700 • Licences: 2,500 Bruce Darlington Mississauga Pickering 5 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
INDEPENDENT COMMISSION TRANSPARENT, SCIENCE-BASED DECISION MAKING Quasi-judicial administrative tribunal Commission members are independent and part-time Agent of the Crown (Duty to Consult) Commission hearings are public and Webcast Reports to Parliament through Minister Staff presentations in public of Natural Resources Decisions are reviewable by Federal Court 6 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
CANADIAN STATUS 7 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
PROVINCIAL AND TERRITORIAL ACTIVITIES Ontario Ministry of Energy sponsored the report • Feasibility of the Potential Deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in Ontario • Established electrical utilities – are interested in becoming SMR operators in Canada – are providing advice to SMR vendors – have introduced a new CANDU Owners Group (COG) forum to discuss SMR issues New Brunswick: establishment of nuclear cluster to • support research and development of SMRs 8 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
CANADIAN NUCLEAR LABORATORIES (CNL) ACTIVITIES Positioning itself to provide science and technology services • Engaged with SMR vendors for a wide range of activities • Stated goal to “host an SMR on a CNL site by 2026” Request for expression of interest: CNL’s SMR strategy • To better understand market demands for activities related to SMRs • Vendor, utility, and provincial government interest CNL’s invitation for SMR demonstration projects • A number of proponents responded 9 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
FEDERAL ACTIVITIES • Government of Canada responded to House of Commons Standing Committee report agreeing to support the development of SMRs (October 2017) • Natural Resources Canada facilitated the Canadian SMR Roadmap – report published November 2018 – concluded that regulatory framework and waste management regime well positioned to respond to SMR paradigm – still a need for continuous improvements to adapt to new reactor technologies and deployment 10 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
NEW ADVANCED REACTORS 11 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
WHAT WE KNOW IS COMING: NEWER DESIGNS The CNSC is reviewing various SMR designs, several of which feature: non-traditional non-traditional fuel deployment models modular operation in the fast construction neutron spectrum NEW DESIGNS BRING NEW INNOVATION transportable gas, light water, or reactors liquid metal cooling security by design longer fuel cycles 12 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS: FUEL INNOVATIVE Metallic TYPES OF TRISO FUELS Traditional PROPOSED Uranium Carbon NON- Proposed refuelling times being extended TRADITIONAL Silicon Some designs have no provisions for refuelling carbide FUEL CYCLES Gaps in fuel qualification • some fuels have not been fully tested at the proposed power/radiation levels and time Example of TRISO fuel periods outlined in new designs Burner and breeder reactors LONG-TERM New fuels could challenge the designs of long-term fuel storage facilities FUEL STORAGE 13 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
ADVANCED DESIGNS: NON-TRADITIONAL COOLANT Molten salt Water Helium Metal (lead/sodium) 14 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS: REACTOR DESIGN, OPERATION, CONTROL AND SHUTDOWN • Strong negative coefficients of reactivity with temperature • Reducing the likelihood of the occurrence or progression of accident scenarios ‒ e.g., better fission product retention in fuel ‒ designs with fewer accident paths • Inherent safety features • Self-regulation of power • Passive shutdown for design-basis accidents • Fission product retention in fuel matrix • Automatic passive heat removal in all modes of operation 15 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS: DIGITAL INSTRUMENTATION AND CONTROL New generation of Operating models Aging management control systems may be different and continuous improvements More control being • remote monitoring given to automated Component lifetimes • reduced staffing systems • glass control rooms • multi-site monitoring 16 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
REGULATORY READINESS 17 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON REGULATORY FRAMEWORK Revolutionary Commercial power Early prototype Advanced water + designs reactors reactors evolutionary designs (molten salt, (Pickering, Darlington, (NPD, Douglas Point) (EC-6, ACR 1000) liquid metal, high Bruce, Point Lepreau, temperature gas) Gentilly-2) Technology evolution (generations) New safety claims and limited Objective-based with few More prescriptive, operational experience – return to Regulatory prescriptive requirements More regulatory certainty framework objective-based? 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 18 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
REGULATORY READINESS STAY FLEXIBLE TO TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS Allow testing and development with appropriate safety margins BE RESPONSIVE TO EVOLVING EXPECTATIONS The licensee AND TRENDS is responsible Continuous effort to maintain and modernize regulatory framework for supporting safety claims PROVIDE STABILITY with suitable Existing and new licensees need a stable and predictable evidence regulatory environment 19 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
ELEMENTS OF REGULATORY READINESS STRATEGY Risk-informed processes Managed processes covering: Strategic decision making Pre-licensing and licensing compliance Continuous improvement SMR Steering Regulatory framework Committee Nuclear Safety and Control Act Capable and agile staff (NSCA), regulations, licences, Capacity/capability regulatory documents Training International cooperation COMMUNICATIONS WITH STAKEHOLDERS 20 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
AVAILABILITY OF PRE-LICENSING PROCESSES Pre-licensing vendor design review (VDR) process • Assessment of a nuclear power plant design based on a vendor’s reactor technology 11 VENDORS ARE • Objective is to verify the acceptability of a nuclear power CURRENTLY ENGAGED plant design with respect to Canadian nuclear regulatory WITH THE CNSC requirements, codes and standards VIA THE VDR PROCESS (it is not a certification process) Determining the licensing strategy for novel applications • Process to inform applicants of expectations regarding information to be submitted in support of the licensing process 21 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
VENDOR DESIGN REVIEWS 22 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
VDRs AND LICENSING PROCESS Optional Environmental assessment pre-licensing Licensing VDR Site Decommissioning Construction Operation preparation • Reactor vendor • GD-385, Pre-licensing Review of a Vendor’s Reactor Design • Under licence to • Under licence to construct • Under licence to operate • Under licence to prepare site • Licence application guide • Licence application guide decommission Determining • Licence application (REGDOC-1.1.3) (RD/GD-369 – guide (REGDOC-1.1.1) appropriate under revision) licensing strategy Draft REGDOC-1.1.5, Licence Application Guide: Small Modular Reactor Facilities For all licensing stages of SMR facilities Potential applicant 23 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
VDR PHASES VDRs are conducted in three phases of increasing review depth. Evaluates 19 cross-cutting design and safety analysis areas, as follows: Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Evaluates that the Identification of potential Follow-up on review areas vendor’s design intent fundamental barriers to based on Phase 1 and shows an understanding licensing Phase 2 outcomes of Canadian requirements and regulatory language 24 nuclearsafety.gc.ca
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