NUCLEAR SAFETYThe Resilience and Safety of Nuclear Power in the Face of Extreme Events
As the prospect of extreme global events grows — from natural disasters and intensifying climate change-driven weather patterns that could affect a nuclear plant, to a rise in infectious diseases that could affect its workforce — nuclear power plants’ adaptable workforces and robust designs will be essential to staying resilient and contributing to a low carbon path to the future.
Nuclear power plants are built to last. But as the prospect of extreme global events grows — from natural disasters and intensifying climate change-driven weather patterns that could affect a plant, to a rise in infectious diseases that could affect its workforce — nuclear power plants’ adaptable workforces and robust designs will be essential to staying resilient and contributing to a low carbon path to the future.
“For the world to mitigate climate change in the next 20 to 30 years, the energy sector needs to fundamentally transform into a low carbon energy supply system,” said Loreta Stankeviciute, an energy systems analyst at the IAEA. “But to do that, the sector also needs to be able to withstand and adapt to extreme events and changes in the environment. Nuclear power’s resilience and safety records make it well positioned to help the global community overcome these challenges.”
Pandemics
A recent test of resilience emerged during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.
As the COVID-19 virus spread to every corner of the globe in the first part of 2020, societies and economies were turned upside down. Numerous restrictions, including lockdowns, were adopted to control the spread of the virus.
“Despite these worldwide constraints, nuclear power plants around the world continued to operate safely. Operators seamlessly implemented contingency plans, including a variety of emergency measures, to maintain operations and keep personnel safe,” said Greg Rzentkowski¸ Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Installation Safety. “Operators took the necessary precautions and carefully implemented operational and organizational changes, while continuing to ensure safety and security of nuclear power plants.”
While no country has reported the enforced shutdown of a nuclear power reactor due to the effects of COVID-19, some scheduled maintenance outages have had to be, with regulatory approval, either shortened or postponed as part of protective health measures that have temporarily scaled back non-critical work, according to operator reports. There are also concerns that pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, such as delayed services and temporary closures of manufacturers, could lead to delays in new builds and major refurbishment projects.
“It remains to be seen how much of an impact these pandemic-related disruptions will have on the industry, said Dohee Hahn, Director of the IAEA’s Division of Nuclear Power. “The input we continue to receive provides us with crucial insight as to the pandemic’s impact on the nuclear industry and will help operators and regulators alike learn from each other’s experiences.”
