New security rule for US nuclear plants

Thursday, 18 December 2008

Four years of work, three public meetings and several opportunities for public comment have resulted in the approval by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) of new rules enhancing security requirements for US nuclear power plants.

 

According to the NRC, many of the requirements under the new ruling are similar to those previously imposed after the attacks on the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001. However, the regulator notes, several new requirements identified through implementing previous security orders have been added, and the regulatory framework updated in preparation for the licensing of new plants.

 

One of the new features is a safety/security interface section requiring plant managers to ensure that potential adverse interactions between security activities and other plant activities are avoided. New sections requiring a comprehensive cyber security program at nuclear power plants, and a requirement that plants develop strategies and response procedures to address an aircraft threat or loss of large areas of the facility due to explosions and fire, have also been introduced, as well as new training and qualification requirements for security personnel.

 

The NRC is keen to point out to the significant stakeholder feedback received during the review process, which it says resulted in changes to content, format and organisation of the final rule. Specifically, it says, three petitions from campaign groups have been resolved and portions of them incorporated into the rule. Amongst these is a portion of a petition from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace requiring licensees to evaluate whether proposed changes, tests, or experiments cause protection against radiological sabotage to be decreased and, if so, to conduct such actions only with NRC approval.

 

A second petition, submitted by Three Mile Island Alert, asked the NRC to require licensees to post at least one armed guard at each entrance to "owner controlled areas." The final physical security requirements in the new rule give licensees flexibility to determine if such personnel postings are necessary. A third petition for rulemaking, focusing on site access authorization and also submitted by the UCS was considered but not adopted, says NRC.

 

Licensees will be given a period of time to update their security plans to comply with the new requirements, which will go into effect 30 days after the new ruling is formally published in the Federal Register.