After the reactor disaster in Fukushima, all nuclear power plants in the European Union, Switzerland and the Ukraine were subject to stress tests in 2011. The reports were then reviewed by international experts and published.
In 2014, the Council of the European Union amended the EU Nuclear Safety Directive for the safety of nuclear installations.
Amongst other things, this envisages Topical Peer Reviews for nuclear power plants, a process in which partner countries review a particular key topic.
Every six years the focus will be on a different aspect of the technical safety of nuclear power plants. In 2017, the first Topical Peer Review will focus on the ageing management of nuclear power plants.
Switzerland is participating in the peer review
“ENSI will require the operators of the nuclear power plants in Switzerland to participate in the process,” explains ENSI-Director Hans Wanner.
Based on the operator reports, ENSI will then submit a country report.
As a first step in the Topical Peer Review 2017 all participating countries will prepare a report on the ageing management of their nuclear power plants.
To configure the peer review so that it is as constructive as possible, the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association, WENRA, is defining the structure and content of these national reports in technical specifications.
Public consultation concerning the technical specifications for the 2017 Topical Peer Review
Up until 30 November 2016, WENRA is conducting a public consultation on these technical specifications for the national reports. Interested parties are invited to submit their comments in writing.
