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WIPP: Lessons in transportation safety
As part of a future consent-based approach by the federal government to site new deep geologic repositories for nuclear waste, local communities and states that are considering hosting such facilities are sure to have many questions. Currently, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico is the only example of such a repository in operation, and it offers the opportunity for state and local officials to visit and judge for themselves the risks and benefits of hosting a similar facility. But its history can also provide lessons for these officials, particularly the political process leading up to the opening of WIPP, the safety of WIPP operations and transportation of waste from generator facilities to the site, and the economic impacts the project has had on the local area of Carlsbad, as well as the rest of the state of New Mexico.
Fernando Ferrante, Stuart Lewis, Gareth Parry, Donald Dube, James Chapman
Nuclear Technology | Volume 207 | Number 3 | March 2021 | Pages 452-459
Technical Note | doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2020.1782693
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
While general guidance for addressing individual elements of the key principles of risk-informed decision making (RIDM) for large commercial nuclear power plants is available in the literature, the implementation of RIDM can still be challenging, whether a mature RIDM framework exists or not. Traditionally, RIDM approaches have focused strongly on the use of risk information, particularly quantitative results from probabilistic risk assessments, with some individual guidance on other key principles such as defense in depth and safety margin. Addressing these different principles in an integrated, balanced fashion that utilizes the strengths of each principle while understanding the impact of uncertainties is not as easily implemented. In fact, the evaluation of each principle in isolation can lead to inadequate input for decision-making purposes, while heavily relying on any single principle can negate the benefits from using a risk-informed approach. This technical note focuses on the specific challenges of the implementation of a truly integrated RIDM (IRIDM) framework and provides specific solutions and detailed discussions and examples. It discusses important clarifications of the key principles of RIDM and their intended implementation, as well as the interrelationships of the principles. A framework for IRIDM is presented that integrates the information that needs to be considered, documented, and communicated to decision makers.