The team said Asco should ensure a comprehensive identification and labelling of structures and components within the scope of safe ageing management and LTO.
It should also should develop and implement a comprehensive equipment qualification programme to preserve fulfillment of safety functions during LTO.
The Salto (Safety Aspects of Long Term Operation) review mission was requested by the plant’s operator Anav (Asociación Nuclear Ascó-Vandellós II).
The review team identified good practices and performances to be shared with the global nuclear industry. They included management of “a living design basis document” to ensure comprehensive configuration management; innovative and integrated usage of ageing management programme data regarding soil movement under safety related buildings for LTO analysis; and effective assessment of safety-related organisational changes.
The Asco nuclear power station, in the country’s northeast, has two commercial reactor units. Unit 1 went into commercial operation in 1984 and Unit 2 in 1986.
On 28 July Spain’s nuclear regulator CSN approved an extension to the operating licences for Asco-1 by nine years to 2030 and Asco-2 by 10 years to 2031. CSN included operating 10 conditions for Unit 1 and 11 for Unit 2. CSN said it would send a report with its decision to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge for final approval.
Nuclear power leads electricity production in Spain with its seven commercial rectors producing a share of electricity of over 22% in 2020.
The Spanish government’s energy and climate plan specifies that installed nuclear capacity will remain at current levels until at least 2025, but will be reduced to just over 3,000 MW from 2030 onwards.
