A Description of the Mandate and Duties of the AECB

The mandate of the AECB is to regulate the development, production, and use of nuclear energy in Canada in a manner that prevents unreasonable risk to:

• health

• safety

• security

• the environment

Over the years, the AECB has used its powers to supplement the legislative and regulatory framework. The main AECB regulatory activities for operating power stations include:

• operating licence renewal • compliance activities

• change approvals

This is in addition to the licensing activities for new power stations as described in Article 7.3.

8.1.1

Operating Licence Renewal

The AECB’s safety review process focuses on obtaining assurance that the risk to the public and employee health and safety, and to the environment remains within the bounds of the original licensing basis for the facility. This review process covers all areas of AECB regulatory requirements and accommodates a two-year licence renewal cycle. AECB staff, on-site and at head office, continuously monitor the operation of the reactors and the licensee’s compliance with safety and licensing requirements.

The safety of operating nuclear power plants is reviewed for compliance with the following:

• requirements of the Atomic Energy Control (AEC) Regulations • relevant regulatory documents

• industry codes and standards • the facility operating licence

The review process consists of the following:

• annual AECB staff review of station safety performance • compliance inspection program

• review of significant events reported by the licensee

• review and approval of proposed temporary and permanent changes • management of generic safety issues

• safety analysis reviews

• design change and equipment performance reviews • reliability and risk assessment

• human factors assessment

• pressure-retaining component surveillance/assessment • quality assurance reviews

• radiation protection program and environmental impact reviews • operator certification and training program assessments

Although the AECB continuously reviews and monitors reactor operations, there is a need for a formal periodic review of plant operation. The AECB conducts such a review annually. This includes a review of the information contained in the licensee’s annual report as well as that in various event reports submitted throughout the year. It also takes into consideration the licensee’s responses to the AECB’s requests

concerning generic safety issues, and concerning the results of AECB’s monitoring of station.

The AECB’s review of each station’s operation is summarized in an annual report prepared for the Board and for subsequent release to the public. This report is an important input to the two-year licence renewal process. The areas that it covers include:

• employee and public radiation safety • safety system performance

• operations and maintenance

• station management

• training

• emergency preparedness • safety analysis

• quality assurance

• nonproliferation and safeguards

A feature of the reports is the compilation of a number of assessments in the above areas. Performance indicators give the AECB early warning of any problems in station operation that might lead to a deterioration in the level of safety. AECB assessments have led to providing restricted licences to Bruce A and Pickering A and B stations in 1988 and 1996 respectively.

In addition to the AECB’s annual assessment reports, the AECB staff prepares a Board Member Document before licence renewal. This document addresses in detail all issues of licensing significance and assesses the performance of the licensee in those

areas over the previous licensing period. The AECB’s licensing process encourages public review and comment on licensing issues during the period between the Board’s initial consideration of an application for a licence and the final Board decision, which is approximately two months.

Each year, a formal review meeting is held between the AECB and licensee

management. This meeting is in addition to the many formal and informal meetings held with licensee staff on specific topics. The review meeting’s main purpose is to discuss with the licensee the AECB’s “report card” on the nuclear power station and progress on high-profile safety issues.

8.1.2

Compliance Activities

The AECB maintains staff at each of the power reactor stations to monitor licensee compliance with the AEC Regulations and licences issued by the Board. A total of 27 engineers and scientists are posted on a full-time basis at reactor sites to inspect and ensure safety during:

• construction

• commissioning

• operation

• reactor maintenance

They also investigate unusual events at the reactors.

See Article 7.4 for a description of regulatory inspections and other functions of the AECB site staff.

The AECB, in addition, has a number of specialists at its headquarters in Ottawa. In cooperation with the site staff, these specialists review and verify the quality and reliability of key reactor components and provisions, such as:

• design • construction • commissioning • safety analyses • radiation protection • performance

• adequate safety procedures • management of the facilities

Head office staff also coordinates the review and resolution of generic safety issues, and codifies AECB regulatory requirements.

As stated in Article 7.4, in 1993, the AECB established a formal compliance

inspection program. Its objective is to ensure that reactor operation complies with the requirements of the AEC Regulations and the facility operating licence. Although the program is still under development, a core set of thirty-one inspection activities is

now routinely carried out. Procedures have been defined for each type of inspection, including periodic reviews of findings, and inspection checklists have been

standardized. Resource requirements from resident site offices and from head office specialists have been estimated. A policy that governs implementation of the program has been adopted.

Although the project was aimed at the establishment of a pro-active inspection program to verify a consistent depth and coverage of each station’s compliance with regulatory requirements, it also recognized the need for reactive inspections. These inspections are prompted by such things as core inspection findings or events. They are discretionary but important, and complement the core program. Whereas the core inspections are broad in nature, reactive inspections usually have a deeper focus.

Over the last few years, the AECB has moved to perform more integrated assessments of licensee performance. In January 1998, a Power Reactor Evaluation Division was created with responsibility to develop the standards and capabilities required to carry out this work.

8.1.3

Change Approvals

The safety of a reactor depends on the nuclear power station meeting its safety design objectives on a continuing basis. To ensure that this is achieved, the AECB requires that a licensee has controls in place for temporary and permanent changes to

equipment, procedures, and documentation. These controls must make sure that all changes are subject to an appropriate level of safety review, and are authorized by a responsible member of the licensee’s staff. Important changes require specific

approvals by the AECB, and these requirements are enforced by the following licence conditions:

• Primary licence documentation: Specific AECB approval is required for changes to licence documents (for example, Operating Policies and Principles, and radiation emergency programs). This is contained in the licence conditions specifying the requirement for each document.

• Changes to special safety system equipment: Specific AECB approval is required for changes to the shutdown systems, containment, or the emergency core cooling system; and the licensee is required to maintain the trip setpoints of the shutdown systems at values approved by the AECB.

• Changes to equipment or procedures that could affect safety of the nuclear power station: Specific AECB approval is required for any change to the reactor equipment or to the utility’s procedures that could cause a hazard different from those considered in the nuclear power station’s licensing basis.

Most AECB approvals for changes are given by the resident inspectors. Temporary changes are frequently applied to the special safety systems to allow maintenance work to be carried out, particularly during unit outages. Most permanent design

changes and major procedural changes are reviewed by specialist at AECB head office before approval is given.

The safety case for a reactor is not static. Advances in the techniques available for safety analysis, results of research, and changes to the plant equipment and operating procedures make an ongoing process of safety evaluation necessary. For this reason,