The safety aspects of long-term operation (Salto) follow-up review mission was requested by the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSM), Sweden’s nuclear regulatory body.
The four-day mission reviewed operator Forsmark’s response to recommendations and suggestions made during an initial IAEA Pre-Salto mission in 2019.
The five-person team – comprising four experts from Belgium, France, Spain and Switzerland, and one IAEA staff member – said the plant had updated the safety analysis report to support LTO; completed analysis of surveillance data of the reactor pressure vessels; completed the development of a proactive obsolescence management programme; and completed and implemented staffing policy, objectives and associated strategies for human resources in support of LTO.
The team noted that “further work” is necessary to ensure that ageing management aspects are fully incorporated into the design and configuration management processes.
Units 1 and 2 at Forsmark began commercial operation in 1980 and 1981 and entered long-term operation (LTO) in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Vattenfall AB, the operator, has decided to run each unit for a total operational lifetime of 60 years. Although Swedish NPP licences are not time limited, regulatory consent to operate is subject to a periodic safety review being conducted and submitted to SSM every 10 years. Unit 3 at Forsmark began commercial operation in 1985.
