Subtask 5. 1: Expert Visit A expert visit to the sites shall be held at an early stage in the planning of this task. The consultant will visit all sites to have a first hand impression, together with NRA staff. Before visiting the site the Consultant should review the existing site reports and prepare a first list of questions/comments for each site. The visit(s) will be carried out during daylight and at a time with sufficient visibility to have a first impression of the site. After the site visit the list of comments and questions will be adapted and, together with the site reports, used as input for the preparation of the following activities.
Subtask 5. 2: Workshop on site licensing activities The workshop will cover the regulatory activities usually carried out during the site evaluation process. It will include the regulatory activities during site selection and site characterisation stage (including the verification of site, where suitability against predefined exclusion criteria and the confirmation of site, where the site characteristics needed for the detailed design of the nuclear power plant are determined) and regulatory activities during the site pre-operational stage (where the studies conducted through the characterisation stage are sufficiently developed to allow for the start of construction). The Contractor shall present the European best practice in this area, using case studies preferably from countries with an active new build nuclear power programme (i.e. with at least one power reactor planned, under construction or recently commissioned). Particular attention shall be paid to the assessment of seismic hazards and, to a lesser extent, of other natural hazards relevant to the candidate areas selected (geological, hydrological, meteorological, etc). During the presentations, the Contractor shall emphasise the commonalities and differences among the different approaches to the evaluation of the site seismic hazard in the European Union and worldwide. The End User shall present the current status of siting activities in Ghana as well as the siting-related regulations and guidelines already existing, in preparation or planned. In addition to the presentations, the workshop shall be used by the End User and by the Contractor to agree on the objectives to achieve with the on-the-job training (see Activity 5-3 below) and on the particular regulations and guides that should be developed as part of this task (see Activity 5-5 below). Information on the different topics to be covered should be documented and exchanged well before the workshop is held, in such a way that the final workshop program is agreed at the latest four weeks before the event. The outcome of the workshop should be a contribution to the definition of exclusion criteria, hold points and other requirements during the site selection phase in Ghana. The workshop shall be held in Ghana, with a duration of 1 week and shall be attended mainly by NRA staff involved in the site licensing process of the first nuclear power plant in Ghana.
Subtask 5. 3: On-the-job training on site licensing activities The Contractor shall make the necessary arrangements to carry out an on-the-job training (OJT) of two NRA trainees at one or more European regulatory authority (or its TSO). The duration of the OJT shall be of 2-3 months. The training should comprise two elements: firstly, training in selected technical topics related to the assessment by the regulatory body of natural hazards during the siting process; and, secondly, their application (as a training exercise) by the NRA trainee to the case of a potential site in Ghana. The specific contents of the OJT, with the technical topics to cover and the objectives to achieve, should have been agreed upon during the workshop. The Contractor shall preferably choose as hosting organisation a regulatory body located in a European country with an active new build nuclear power programme (i.e. with at least one power reactor planned, under construction or recently commissioned). The OJT shall be conducted in English, and the Contractor shall ensure that the supervisors and other staff from the hosting body interfacing with the NRA trainees have a sufficient command of English. A procedure (with transparent and objective criteria) should be developed to select the two NRA trainees most suitable for the OJT. Mechanisms should be established to ensure the broader and effective dissemination within NRA of the experience gained from the OJT and its incorporation, where appropriate, within NRA’s approach/es and practice. The trainees shall prepare two individual reports summarising the activities conducted and comparing the results achieved with the objectives pursued. The lessons learned and good practices identified shall be highlighted. The reports shall be reviewed by the Contractor.
Subtask 5. 4: Training in evaluation of a site seismic risk A training course in regulatory evaluation of site seismic risk shall be held in Ghana. Training materials should be distributed to trainees at least four weeks before the training course is held. The training course should be attended by NRA staff involved in site licensing activities, notably in the evaluation of the site seismic risk. The scope and content of the training course should be sufficient to provide trainees with a clear understanding of how the nature, extent and purpose of a site seismic hazard analysis can be transferred into regulatory requirements, official hold points and treated in regulatory inspections. Both deterministic and probabilistic approaches should be covered. The training program shall include also practical descriptions of review and inspection activities that are usually carried out by the regulatory body staff, together with the awareness of the range of methods and tools used in defining of acceptance criteria and evaluating compliance with the acceptance criteria.
Subtask 5. 5: Drafting of regulatory guidelines on assessment of natural hazards Based on the discussions held during the workshop, the Contractor shall prepare in close collaboration with staff of the NRA draft regulations supporting future NRA´s activities in the area of site natural hazards assessment, according with a detailed plan agreed upon during the workshop. This will be done in very close coordination with the End User, including both exchange of documents through e-mail and by Contractor´s experts at NRA premises. The Contractor shall ensure that the draft regulations are consistent with European and international best practice and in line with Task 1 and Task 2 activities. For planning purposes, the Contractor should foresee spending about 6 man-months working directly in situ with NRA staff involved in the preparation of documents related to site licensing; this effort should be deployed over one or more periods of time and by one or more expert, the choice being determined by the most cost effective means. The regulations shall be ready to start the formal review and approval process established by NRA for nuclear safety regulations and guides, however this process is not part of this project.
