report

4. Convention on Nuclear SafetyOn 27-31 August 2012, the IAEA convened an extraordinary meeting of the Convention on NuclearSafety intended to review and discuss the lessons learned to date from the Fukushima-Daiichiaccident. The debates were held within 6 working groups in charge of delivering their conclusions intopical reports as follows:• topic 1: external events (earthquake, flooding, extreme weather conditions),• topic 2: design issues,• topic 3: severe accident management and recovery (on site),• topic 4: national organizations,• topic 5: emergency preparedness and response and post-accident management (off site),• topic 6: international cooperation.The debates led to a number of high level safety recommendations [7] aimed for the most part, firstlyat the licensee (topics 1 to 3), and secondly at the relevant national authorities (topics 4 to 6).For the topics 1 to 3, most recommendations were already covered by the planned activities derivedfrom the stress tests program.The majority of the key issues identified for the topics 4 to 6 are already addressed in Belgium.However, complementary actions were identified through self-assessments conducted as part of thecontinuous improvement process.4.1. National organisationsa) Revision of regulationsAll the reference levels of the WENRA reactor harmonization group (RHWG) have been incorporated inthe Belgian regulations. A Royal decree signed in November 2011 is dedicated to the safetyrequirements applicable to the nuclear installations. Relevant sections of this regulation concern inparticular the design extension of existing reactors, as well as emergency operating procedures andsevere accident management guidelines. Furthermore, the FANC is currently drafting regulationproposals about decommissioning and waste and spent fuel storage in order to include the relatedWENRA reference levels in the national regulations.b) IRRS mission in BelgiumThe FANC has requested an IRRS mission to identify possible improvement opportunities in theorganization and activities of the regulatory body. The IRRS mission is expected to be a full scopemission covering all activities of the FANC. In particular, the new “Fukushima” module has beenexplicitly requested, in order to benchmark the FANC regulatory framework with the latest Fukushimainsights in view to identify future improvements if needed.A “preliminary” self-assessment of the regulatory body was carried out from September 2011 tillSeptember 2012. The IRRS mission is scheduled for the end of 2013.c) Issuance of safety guidanceIn close collaboration with Bel V and the Royal Observatory of Belgium, the FANC intends to elaboratea specific guidance for the assessment of the seismic hazard, using deterministic and probabilisticmethods and the input data that are available. The international practices will also be considered inthe process.This guidance will then be applied for the seismic design of the new nuclear facilities in Belgium.10/18