Workshop on High Winds and Tornadoes Hazard Assessment and Protection of Nuclear Installations

After the Fukushima nuclear accident, many activities were initiated in the countries with nuclear energy to assess the robustness of nuclear power plants with respect to earthquakes, tsunamis and floods originating from the sea in general. Other natural events, which might also pose hazards to the safe operation of nuclear installations, were mostly not addressed in the same rigorous way. As high winds and tornadoes are main contributors to meteorological hazards, a deeper investigation on the current regulatory requirements and scientific and technical approaches are necessary in order to identify good practices and specify needs for further research and development on an international level. Based on a survey, the Working Group on External Events (WGEV) has developed a technical note that addresses pertinent regulatory requirements, relevant aspects of hazard assessment (e.g. availability of data, assessment methods), definition of wind and tornado loadings for Structures, Systems, and Components (SSC) design, and protection measures.

This workshop involved a broad range of engineers, meteorologists, and other experts in this subject, from both nuclear and non-nuclear fields, to address key issues and identified technology gaps.

The objectives of this workshop were the collection of information by comparing methods for high wind and tornadoes hazard assessments and approaches to protect nuclear installations against high winds and tornadoes effects in different countries.

The workshop brought together experts in this area from academia, regulatory bodies, international organisations, and industry representatives, also from non-nuclear fields, to address key issues and identified technology gaps. The discussions helped to specify further R&D needs and potential for improvements in nuclear installations design. During the four-day workshop, participants exchanged the most recent research results and provided consensus conclusions and recommendations on how to address such hazards as high winds and tornadoes.