NRC Begins Rulemaking on Post-Fukushima Emergency Response Enhancements, Also Announces Meeting on BWR Vent Hardening

NRC Begins Rulemaking on Post-Fukushima Emergency Response Enhancements, Also Announces Meeting on BWR Vent Hardening

from Nuclear Power Industry News by Nuclear Street News Team

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun fleshing out new safety requirements enacted in response to last year’s Fukushima Daiichi accidents, announcing meetings on two key elements of those changes Wednesday.

The agency began soliciting public comments as it plans to strengthen on-site emergency response requirements at commercial nuclear plants. Questions posed in a Federal Register notice regarding the rulemaking include:

• Should Severe Accident Management Guidelines (SAMGs) be standardized throughout the industry?
• What is the most effective strategy for linking Emergency Operating Procedures with SAMGs and Extensive Damage Mitigation Guidelines?
• What additional accident scenarios should be considered for expanding SAMG technical guidelines as a result of the lessons learned in Japan?
• Should separate procedures be developed that clearly establish the command and control structures for large-scale events?

Comments are due June 18.