Nuclear power remains the largest source of low-carbon electricity in OECD countries. Supported by robust technical evidence and growing operating experience, many countries are already taking advantage of long-term operation (LTO) to meet their climate engagements with approximately thirty percent of nuclear power plants already operating under LTO conditions.
The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) recently co-organised a workshop in Petten, The Netherlands with Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) to explore the latest developments in preparations for the LTO beyond sixty years of existing nuclear power plants.
Around 40 nuclear experts came together to discuss nuclear industry and regulatory authorities activities, plans, challenges and needs in preparation for safe LTO beyond sixty years.
40 nuclear and safety experts came together in Petten, The Netherlands to discuss nuclear industry and regulatory authorities activities, plans, challenges and needs in preparation for safe LTO beyond sixty years.
Speakers from the NEA, NRG, organisations including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), VTT Finland, UJV Rez Czech Republic delved into discussions on the technical, economic, and regulatory considerations paramount to ensuring the safe and sustainable operation of aging nuclear facilities.
With governments increasingly committing to achieving carbon neutrality earlier, often by 2050, the window of time for meeting these goals is shrinking. Therefore, the adoption of well-established solutions will be crucial for successfully attaining such objectives.
The discussions built upon the findings of the NEA’s report Long-Term Operation of Nuclear Power Plants and Decarbonisation Strategies (2021) which highlights that if most nuclear capacity is shut down after forty years of operation, it could put electricity systems under considerable stress and place net zero goals further out of reach.
The NEA-NRG workshop created an important platform for open and important discussions on the possibilities, as well as the challenges, posed by the prospect of the LTO of nuclear power plants beyond sixty years.
Helping to shift from discussion to action on the topic of LTO falls under the mandate of the NEA’s Working Group on Integrity and Ageing of Components and Structures (WGIAGE) whose primary objective is to enhance comprehension of pertinent factors concerning the maintenance of integrity in components, systems, and structures. The Working Group aims to formulate fundamental principles for effectively addressing challenges encountered by both operational and new nuclear power plants, along with other nuclear facilities, and to identify an integrated approach to design safety and plant life management.
This workshop created an important platform for an open dialogue on the possibilities, as well as the challenges, posed by the prospect of the LTO of nuclear power plants beyond sixty years. The workshop's takeaways will be incorporated the NEA's status report on LTO beyond 60 years which is planned to be released in 2025.
For more information on this topic, see the NEA's report on LTO of Nuclear Power Plants and Decarbonsation Strategies.
