Seismic unresolved safety issues

Abstract

The program for identification and resolution of Unresolved Safety Issues (USIs) at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission was developed to conform to the provisions of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 as amended. Those Generic Safety concerns that are determined to be of high safety significance are considered for designation as USIs. They are first prioritized using a procedure based on their potential safety significance and on the estimated cost of potential plant modifications. Safety importance is gauged by estimating radiation release and public exposure. Costs to the nuclear industry as well as implementation costs to the NRC are considered. Generic Issues (GIs) that are prioritized as “high” are potential candidates for USIs. The USIs have high visibility; progress and status is reported to Congress annually, and they are reviewed by the Advisory Committee for Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) and by the Commission periodically as the resolution progresses. This paper discusses USIs and high priority Generic Issues which are related to seismic concerns.