Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following outcomes:

• Preliminary safety assessments of innovative fission and fusion reactors, aiming at investigating worst hypothetical accident sequences for each specific technology, as well as, wherever appropriate, their related “source terms” to allow a comparison of all fission and fusion technologies’ safety levels.
• Provision of a scientific basis and knowledge for an effective harmonisation and standardisation of reactor components assessments, methodologies, codes or standards, for the establishment of transparent and enhanced predictable licensing processes, including new manufacturing technologies, e.g. hot isostatic pressing, additive manufacturing or innovative surface treatments / coatings, meeting the needs and requirements of European nuclear safety regulators, based on pre-normative research and capitalising on progress made by existing research and cooperation initiatives, especially with a view to achieving safe long-term operation by design.
• Investigate the possibility of transferring to the nuclear sector, if applicable and relevant, licensing procedures developed successfully in other industrial sectors for which European and international standardisation frameworks are established.
• Investigate the possibility to consider safe reuse and recycling requirements in the licensing procedures and standards.
• Consolidation of European research capacities for implementing a performance-based regulatory approach, focussing on desired and measurable outcomes.
• Data and results disseminated and reported to Member States’ nuclear safety regulators in order to facilitate their early involvement regarding safety verifications and licensing of future fission and fusion installations.

The development of innovative technologies and licensing for new installations could be particularly time-consuming and costly if regulators are not involved and if citizens’ concerns are not considered at an early stage, adding delays to deployment. The timely involvement of standardisation and design code bodies is equally important, by involving at an early stage the regulators for improving the exchange between researchers, technical safety organisations and regulators. The evolution of the safety regulatory framework fostering an early involvement of independent regulators in the innovation process could accelerate deployment of new technologies, while ensuring the highest safety standards. This change is possible through cooperation between safety regulators, technical safety organisations, research organisations, industry and supply chain actors on qualification, standardisation, verification and validation and licensing. In this framework, The European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) could, as appropriate, be consulted. Additionally, the action should support the development of methodologies that consider stakeholder involvement, and take due account of the specific social and economic contexts where technologies are developed and operated.

Nuclear regulatory regimes, by evolving from a prescriptive-based approach to a performance-based approach, could ensure compliance with safety objectives for all innovative fission and fusion designs and technologies. Inclusion of fusion, still in the early development stage, is possible thanks to safety demonstrations being carried out for ITER and that are expected to cover all accident scenarios. In addition, top-level safety objectives for ITER are based on international guidelines similar to those adopted by nuclear fission facilities.

In addition to regulatory issues, the approval of innovative designs faces a fundamental dilemma. On one hand, regulatory bodies need a relatively detailed design to start safety assessment and give an early feedback to operators, knowing that the standardisation of component requirements is not sufficient to assess the overall safety of the installation. On the other hand, operators need to optimise their resources on design before having the regulatory bodies’ opinion on their safety options. The action should also support R&D to facilitate the elaboration of a more detailed design, at a lower cost. The use of ‘numerical twins’ of the installation, including the modelling of accident scenarios, is a promising opportunity.

This action^[1] should support the development of performance-based licensing methodologies for innovative nuclear fission and also specific methodologies for fusion designs to take into account their distinctive properties, based on their related “source terms” to allow a comparison among safety levels. It should facilitate the establishment of a common understanding on licensing methodologies for advanced technologies between nuclear safety regulators, contributing to harmonisation of licensing methods of future installations. It should also lead to a more transparent and predictable licensing process and more effective regulatory oversight. Additionally, the action should support the development of methodologies that consider stakeholder involvement and take due account of the specific social and economic contexts where technologies are developed and operated.

Pre-normative research and methodologies for new designs and operating conditions, with emphasis on high temperature and high-irradiation dose by establishing shared codes and standards according to a strategy to progressively enlarge consensus among stakeholders, should be covered. This also includes a digitalisation of nuclear installations, optimisation of supply chains, streamlining design approval and harmonising classification schemes.

The proposed actions should capitalise on progress made by current relevant research and cooperation initiatives in standardisation and nuclear safety, in Euratom and outside, especially considering the conclusions of the EU stress tests. Involvement of regulatory bodies and technical safety organisations should be encouraged and participation of relevant stakeholders from all Member States would be a major advantage. Proposals should demonstrate that research will be carried out in cooperation with and meeting requirements of EU Member States nuclear safety regulators. In this respect, the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG), as appropriate, should be consulted, to provide guidance on topics relevant to regulatory opinions. As research programmes and safety expertise topics support regulatory opinions, it is also appropriate to consult the Technical Safety Organisations’ association (ETSON). Cross-cutting fission-fusion research activities that ensure synergy of research efforts in solving common challenges are encouraged. Research actions for the harmonisation of licensing procedures, codes and standards focused only on future fission or fusion plants could be acceptable, if duly justified.

Due to the scope of this topic, international cooperation is encouraged.

Where appropriate, the Commission recommends that consortia make use of the services of the JRC. The JRC may participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. The JRC would bear the operational costs for its own staff and research infrastructure operational costs. The JRC facilities and expertise are listed in General Annex H of this Work Programme.

[1] Funded from fission (50%) and fusion (50%) budget lines