Plan is to extend operation for a subsequent period until 2054
An International Atomic Energy Agency team provided 15 recommendations and suggestions to further improve safe long-term operation (LTO) at the Borssele nuclear power station in the Netherlands including that the plant should complete the development and implementation of the ageing management programmes for mechanical and electrical components.
The Pre-Safety Aspects of Long-Term Operation (Pre-Salto) review team, which reviewed the plant’s preparedness, organisation and programmes for LTO, said the plant should enhance the ageing management of civil structures and update and implement the human resources strategy to support LTO.
The team said it identified two good practices that will be shared with the nuclear industry globally. They are: use of a 360-degree imaging system for planning of ageing management activities to reduce radiation dose to plant personnel; and use of a portable tablet for field inspectors to conduct ageing management inspections of civil structures and record findings.
Borssele, operated by Elektriciteits-Produktiemaatschappij Zuid-Nederland (EPZ), is on the country’s coast, about 165 km south of Amsterdam. It is the only commercial nuclear plant in the country.
The plant’s single unit is a pressurised water reactor has a net electrical output of 482 MW, contributing 3.2% of the total electricity generation in the Netherlands.
Borssele began commercial operation in 1973 with a design life of 40 years. The plant had previously received approval to extend the operational period to 2033, and the plant’s intention – as requested by the Dutch government – is to extend the operation for a subsequent period until 2054.
