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Department of Energy Issues August 2011 Report "Review of Requirements and Capabilities For Analyzing and Responding to Beyond Design Basis Events"

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In response to the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the Department of Energy (DOE) took a series of actions to review the safety of its nuclear facilities and identify opportunities for improvement. On March 23, 2011, Secretary Chu issued Safety Bulletin No. 2011-01, "Events Beyond Design Safety Basis Analysis," which requested DOE Program and Field Offices to review their nuclear facilities and report on:

  • 1. the analyses that have been performed for beyond design basis events and controls in place that could mitigate them,
  • 2. the ability to safely manage their nuclear facilities during a total loss of power,
  • 3. the operability of important safety systems, and
  • 4. the readiness of emergency management plans and procedures.

Subsequently, DOE conducted an analysis of requirements and guidance for safety analysis, facility design, and emergency response as they relate to beyond design basis events, and performed a review of commercial nuclear power industry requirements and guidance related to beyond design basis events, including recent efforts by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the European Union. On June 6-7, 2011, the Deputy Secretary convened a Nuclear Safety Workshop that was attended by senior nuclear safety managers and technical experts from the Department, other Federal agencies (such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency), and the commercial nuclear power industry.

Collectively, these actions focused on learning how DOE can better prepare to manage potential beyond design basis events (i.e., events more severe than the events that formed the basis of the design for DOE's nuclear facilities, such as extremely unlikely earthquakes). While DOE nuclear facilities significantly differ from commercial nuclear power reactors (particularly in regards to energy and decay heat removal needs during accidents), there are lessons to be learned from review of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. On September 16, 2011, the Deputy Secretary transmitted the August 2011 report, "Review of Requirements and Capabilities For Analyzing and Responding to Beyond Design Basis Events." This report describes the opportunities for improvement identified by DOE's review and provides recommendations for short-term and long-term actions for improving DOE's nuclear safety.

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