Practical Considerations for Location Outside Facility Designation and for Efficient Safeguards

Abstract of the technical paper/presentation presented at:
Safeguards Symposium 2018
November 2–5, 2018

Prepared by:
Brittany Tyler, Jennifer Sample and Mary Sedrak
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

Abstract:

To determine the most suitable designation when applying safeguards to entities that possess nuclear material, consideration should be given to various factors including operational activities and the quantity of nuclear material present. By choosing the appropriate designation, and thereby ensuring that the safeguards activities conducted are sufficient, the State Regulatory Authority (SRA) can contribute to the optimization of the State System of Accounting for and Control of Nuclear Material (SSAC) within its jurisdiction. Beyond simply designating an entity as either a facility or a Location outside Facility (LOF), the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) has identified and employed changes to simplify and streamline safeguards implementation for LOFs. Such changes derive from numerous years of experience applying safeguards at LOFs and critically assessing the approaches taken in light of feedback received from various stakeholders including CNSC staff, operators and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The current initiative to optimize safeguards implementation for LOFs focuses on three primary areas: reviewing the approach taken when applying safeguards to locations with very small quantities and little movement of nuclear material, ensuring that safeguards are applied pragmatically to existing and future LOFs, and reassessing of the use of a national LOF. In this paper the evolution of the application of safeguards at LOFs in Canada is described and culminates with the approach currently in place. Additionally the types of entities that are typically involved, the challenges they characteristically encounter, and the measures the SRA is taking to try to alleviate these challenges will be addressed.

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