Last week, some of the Frazer-Nash team in Australia, alongside their KBR colleagues, attended the Nuclear Futures: Shaping Dialogue in a Changing World conference, hosted by the University of New South Wales and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA).
Attended by global experts, emerging professionals, and key stakeholders, it was hailed by Ben Heard, Industry Lead, Nuclear as “the best, highest calibre nuclear conference I have attended on Australian soil.”
The team made sure the Frazer-Nash brand was front and centre, participating in panel discussions, collaborative workshops, and ensuring the exhibition booth was well-staffed at all times. As well as reinforcing our commitment to advancing nuclear innovation and dialogue, the team’s presence also led to several recruitment-focused conversations, with sought-after talent expressing interest in joining the team.
Joining a panel focused on nuclear safety, waste management, and regulatory alignment, Ben Heard engaged with the other panellists to discuss the current challenges, with the panel sharing their insights on the topic from both an Australian and international perspective. Exploring experiences from Australia, the Pacific, Asia and the US, the panel reflected on how local context drives the arrangements that can deliver safety and regulatory effectiveness. Frazer-Nash's was highlighted as an important home for technical expertise which can be called upon by operators and regulator alike.
Following the submission of thought-provoking abstracts, Matthew Purcell, Nuclear Safety Engineer and John Leadbeater, Nuclear Safety Engineer were both invited to participate in an exclusive workshop on imagining nuclear futures. Joining 60 nuclear professionals from around the world, Matthew’s breakout group explored the future of deep geological repositories while John’s explored building lasting social acceptance and trust towards nuclear technologies. The outcomes from the workshop will be included in an upcoming NEA report.
Just when Matthew Purcell thought he was out of the spotlight, he was awarded ‘Best in Category: Nuclear Safety, Waste and Regulatory Alignment’ for his paper “A graded approach to nuclear safety: the challenges of designing new nuclear technologies and infrastructure.” The paper examined how aligning regulatory effort with risk can improve efficiency and reduce costs, while emphasising the need for trust and collaboration in evolving regulatory landscapes. You can check out the full paper below.
Ben Heard said, “It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many people who are passionate about shaping the future of nuclear innovation. There was a real sense of positivity and excitement in the conversations we had throughout the conference. Plus, our exhibition table was buzzing with activity! It was great to see such a fantastic event in Australia and we’ve all come away with a renewed sense of enthusiasm.”
Matthew Purcell's paper in full:
A graded approach to nuclear safety: the challenges of designing new nuclear technologies and infrastructure
Using a graded approach ensures the amount of effort applied to the application of nuclear safety is commensurate with the level of risk present, bringing efficiency and cost saving to the installation and regulatory application.
A graded approach is based on solid radiological control principles but requires a significant amount of trust between licence holders and regulators. With an evolving regulatory landscape, trust will need to be formed concurrent to licences being agreed, and not necessarily based on previous applications or a long working relationship.
The existing nuclear applications in Australia do not pose hazards commensurate with a full nuclear power plant installations therefore, licence holders and ARPANSA have developed a working understanding of what a graded approach to safety looks like in their application.
International regulators, such as in the UK, Canada and Finland, have all developed graded approaches to nuclear safety, although interpretation of the IAEA guidance is required. Close collaboration between Rolls Royce SMR and ONR in the UK appears to show increasing promise.
The new naval nuclear power regulator, ANNPSR, are forming new regulations in parallel with the design process of the landside infrastructure for AUKUS. Designers are taking a proactive approach to understand how ARPANSA regulation, which is tailored for specific applications, applies to the new infrastructure. Furthermore, learning from AUKUS partners for regulatory approach has also been crucial in the delivery of the enterprise, with advice from overseas dovetailing into the assurance processes in preparation for a formalised set of regulations. Although, an element of risk will always be present until the new regulator is in force and engaging with the designers.
Future potential SMR applications internationally will face a similar hurdle, which may materially affect the investment viability of the proposal. The regulatory approval of an SMR in the USA was cited as part of the reason for an approximately 100% overspend, pushing the cost of any potential energy produced up and reducing its competitiveness against renewable energy.
With the level of nuclear SQEP in country, industry may be required to take a front seat in the development of regulations, whilst also building an industry which shall abide by them. A graded approach would also allow a sensible allocation of resources, in line with the varying levels of risk across installations.
Ultimately, it is up to a licence holder to assure safety in their installations and that adequate provision has been made for the protection of the environment and the health and safety of people. A graded approach gives a licence holder a set of tools to mitigate the risks within a nuclear facility. The greater risk or complexity within an installation, the greater the evidence required to prove that the facility is safe to operate.
Nuclear regulations are in place to assure the safety of people and the environment and are not to be compromised. The challenge is applying a level of graded approach that allows flexibility to innovate within applications, whilst controlling the price tag associated to regulatory compliance.
Matthew Purcell
Nuclear Safety Engineer
Frazer-Nash Consultancy Australia
