Enhancement of the Maintenance Regulatory Framework and Oversight for Canadian Nuclear Power Plants – What Can We Learn From the Maintenance Rule

An abstract of the technical document presented at:
The 10^th International Conference on CANDU Maintenance
Toronto, Ontario
May 25–27, 2014

Prepared by:
Yong Chang Liu, Greg Lamarre, Chantal Morin, Ram Kameswaran
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

The Maintenance Rule, as defined in 10 CFR 50.65, has been adopted by the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (U.S. NRC) and is gradually being implemented by other foreign regulators to regulate the maintenance of nuclear power plants (NPPs). RD/GD-210 is the major maintenance- related regulatory document established by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the strengths of the maintenance rule as a regulatory approach and to propose possible improvements to the regulatory oversight approaches currently in place in the Canadian nuclear industry. The paper compares the maintenance regulatory approaches implemented by U.S. NRC and CNSC, including their oversight strategies. The paper also analyzes the feasibility and potential challenges if the CNSC adopted the U.S. NRC’s regulatory approach. Finally, the paper recommends possible improvements in the future to optimize and enhance the maintenance regulatory requirements and oversight for Canadian NPPs.

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