Nuclear Power Plant Site Selection Research Articles

Application of Weighted Linear Combination approach in a Geographical Information System environment for nuclear power plant site selection: the case of Ghana

This study presents an assessment of potential sites for the installation of Ghana's first NPP using a combination of multi-criteria decision-making approaches. The selection process considered only the first two steps involve in the site selection as indicated in the IAEA guidelines. According to the results, site 1 is 9.3 km North-west of Mpaha, a spacely populated area, and approximately 20 km from the national grid. Site 2 is relatively remote than site 1 and is 20 km northeast of the town of Kinyanga. Site 3 is 4.5 km northeast of the town of Abama, a sparsely populated area in the country. Site 4 is located 20 km northeast of the town of Atebubu, with a proximity to the national transmission and road network of 19 km and 2.8 km, respectively. The final site 5 is further south of the country, approximately 5 km southeast of Takorowatwen.

GIS-based multi-criteria analysis for nuclear power plant site selection in West Kalimantan

Nuclear power is set as the highest priority to slow global warming, so the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) using nuclear reactors as a source of heat energy is initiated to produce pollution-free electricity. Bengkayang and Mempawah Regencies in West Kalimantan provinces are selected as prospective NPP locations based on the exclusion and discretionary criteria. The exclusion criteria consist of the geological structure, types of bedrock, the existence and sufficiency of the cooling water, proximity to the population center, and terrain shape. Meanwhile, the discretionary criterion is proximity to the road network. This study aims to map and analyze the exclusion and discretionary criteria for potential NPP. The multi-criteria analysis in this study includes screening analysis, regional suitability analysis, and descriptive spatial analysis. It is performed using the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technique on spatial data information. The screening process produced six potential locations to be used as NPP. Five locations are in Bengkayang Regency, precisely in Sungai Raya Kepulauan District and Sungai Raya District. Another location is in Mempawah Regency, precisely in Sungai Kunyit District.

A Multi-Criteria Decision Support Framework for Inland Nuclear Power Plant Site Selection under Z-Information: A Case Study in Hunan Province of China

To promote the development of nuclear power project in inland China, a specialized multi-criteria decision support framework is constructed for the site selection of inland nuclear power plants in this work. The best worst method (BWM), decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) are integrated with Z-numbers, namely Z-BWM, Z-DEMATEL, and Z-TOPSIS. Z-BWM and Z-DEMATEL are combined to produce the weights of criteria, and an extended Z-TOPSIS is utilized to determine the ranking of all alternatives. Finally, a case study is performed in Hunan province to demonstrate the practicability of the proposed decision support framework. The robustness and feasibility of the proposed method are shown by an in-depth analysis of the decision results.

A two‐stage decision framework for inland nuclear power plant site selection based on GIS and type‐2 fuzzy PROMETHEE II: Case study in China

AbstractSite selection is a critical strategic decision for inland nuclear power plants which have broad prospects of development. However, several shortcomings exist in current researches, such as the incomplete decision frameworks, the indiscriminately treated properties, and the information loss. To handle the above flaws, this study establishes a two‐stage site selection framework. In the first stage, the geographic information system and preselection criteria are applied to identify suitable alternative sites. And in the second stage, the interval type‐2 fuzzy PROMETHEE II and suitability criteria are utilized to rank alternatives and select the optimal site, where different preference functions are selected accordingly. Thereinto, the interval type‐2 fuzzy numbers are adopted to describe the uncertainty and vagueness in calculation, without being transformed to exact value. Finally, based on the proposed two‐stage decision framework, a case of Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi provinces is studied, to demonstrate its validity and practicability. The results show that S8 is selected as the optimal site for its strong government support, convenient fuel transport, and land availability. This study not only enriches the material databases for inland nuclear power plant site selection, but also offers theoretical reference for site selection studies of various objects.

Nuclear power plant site selection by Weighted Linear Combination in GIS environment, Edirne, Turkey

The main objective of this study is to develop an approach to reveal suitable areas using geographical information systems (GIS) via spatial analysis based on screening criteria in Edirne, Turkey. Turkey is one of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries with the fastest growth in energy demand. Including nuclear energy as a source of energy is extremely important for Turkey to meet this growing electricity demand and reduce the risks that result from dependency on imported fuels. In addition, nuclear energy is introduced as “national energy” to boost political motivation and public support against dependency on imported natural gas. A nuclear power plant with four pressurized water reactors (PWR) with 1000MWe capacity was suggested in the study. Nuclear power plants require a special safety regime, unlike other power generation plants and industrial sites. Safety approach begins with analytical work for site selection and evaluation. Criteria based on this approach should be evaluated not only in the construction, operation, and decommissioning stage, but also during the site selection process. Proximity to capable faults, seismicity, availability of cooling water, population, flooding, topography, environmental sensitivity, proximity to national borders, electrical grid, transportation opportunities and hazardous facilities were chosen as screening criteria. Whole province was evaluated with screening criteria in GIS and five candidate sites were proposed. Weighted Linear Combination method was applied to support the decision making process. The study revealed that there are some suitable locations for developing a nuclear power plant project in the southern coast of Edirne and some areas in Ergene riverside.

Environmental capability evaluation for nuclear power plant site selection: a case study of Sahar Khiz Region in Gilan Province, Iran

Due to the increasing population and the growing need for providing energy from a clean and non-fossil resource, there is an increasing interest in nuclear energy all over the world. As a fact, environmental capability evaluation should be considered for establishment of new nuclear power plants, not only to increase the safety against environmental risks, but also to achieve sustainable development. This study focuses on environmental capability evaluation for the nuclear power plant site selection in the coastal area of Gilan Province (Sahar Khiz). Considering the natural potentials and limitations of the area, the existing laws and regulations set by the International Atomic Energy Agency, United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Department of Environment, ecological and socioeconomic criteria were the main object of this study. At first, the Boolean logic method was used to prepare layered maps and identify selected zones, using geographical information system (GIS) and the “AND” operator. Then, the fuzzy logic method based on weighted linear combination (WLC) was applied for site selection of the new nuclear power plant. Four main criteria (physical, biological, social and economic) and 15 sub-criteria have been chosen for site selection process, from all selected criteria and sub-criteria. After preparing the raster maps of the ecological and socioeconomic sub-criteria, the fuzzy logic was used to standardize data layers between zero and one. Then, a relative weight was assigned to each criterion using Expert Choice software and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. At the end, to combine all sub-criteria, fuzzy logic method based on WLC was used in GIS environment, and the final map of environmental capability was prepared. The results of this study were compared to the results using the Boolean logic method, showing high coverage between the two methodologies, while the fuzzy logic method based on WLC combined with the AHP method had more flexibility and more accuracy comparing with the Boolean logic method.

The fuzzy TOPSIS and generalized Choquet fuzzy integral algorithm for nuclear power plant site selection – a case study from Turkey

The location selection for nuclear power plant (NPP) is a strategic decision, which has significant impact on the economic operation of the plant and sustainable development of the region. This paper proposes fuzzy TOPSIS and generalized Choquet fuzzy integral algorithm for evaluation and selection of optimal locations for NPP in Turkey. Many sub-criteria such as geological, social, touristic, transportation abilities, cooling water capacity and nearest to consumptions markets are taken into account. Among the evaluated locations, according to generalized Choquet fuzzy integral method, Inceburun–Sinop was selected as a study site due to its highest performance and meeting most of the investigated criteria. The Inceburun-Sinop is selected by generalized Choquet fuzzy integral and fuzzy TOPSIS Iğneada–Kırklareli took place in the first turn. The Mersin–Akkuyu is not selected in both methods.

시스템즈 엔지니어링 기법을 이용한 원자력발전소 부지 선정 방법에 대한 연구

Nuclear power plant site selection is a complex process and its successful completion is a critical milestone in the NPP development cycle. Proper siting of NPP will ensure public health and safety, environmental conservation, reduced project failure risks and a smooth NPP development process among other benefits. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the application of systems engineering to the problem of NPP siting in Kenya. The siting process demonstrated in this paper includes stakeholder need analysis where stakeholders are identified and their needs concerning NPP site are elicited and converted into system functional requirements. A value model is then developed and potential sites iteratively subjected to three types of criteria i.e. exclusionary criteria, avoidance criteria and suitability criteria. This process is used to identify the candidate sites. An additive value model; multiple objectives Decision Analysis (MODA) is then used to calculate candidate solutions values. The site with the highest solution value score is selected. Sensitivity studies using different criterion weight sets (thereby reflecting different viewpoints) can be conducted to assess their effect on the selection of a preferred site and thereby lend additional credibility to the decision process.

Stability Analysis of Shallow Stratum in Jiangshidi Nuclear Power Plant Site and its Surrounding Areas

The differential GPS navigation and positioning technique, multi-channel shallow seismic exploration and high resolution single channel seismic technique were used for the geophysical exploration of the shallow stratum in Jiangshidi nuclear power plant site and its surrounding areas. Based on seismic data post processing results, the seismic section interpretation was performed, combined with regional geological background, borehole data and shallow anatomy data. Five main seismic reflection surfaces were recognized by using seismic stratigraphic method, and eight breakpoints were found according to the active fault discrimination criteria. Then the distribution and activity characteristics of main faults were obtained. The results show that any fault and marked deformation in the quaternary sediments has not been observed in the range of 5 km away from Jiangshidi nuclear power plant site. So the stability analysis results of shallow stratum in target area can meet the requirement of nuclear power plant site selection code.

A Fuzzy Multi-Criteria SWOT Analysis: An Application to Nuclear Power Plant Site Selection

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis is a commonly used and an important technique for analyzing internal and external environments in order to provide a systematic approach and support for a decision making. SWOT is criticized mostly for considering only qualitative examination of environmental factors, no priority for various factors and strategies, and no vagueness of the factors under fuzziness. In this paper, fuzzy TOPSIS (Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) integrated with fuzzy AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) is used to develop fuzzy multi-criteria SWOT analysis in order to overcome these shortcomings. Nuclear power plant site selection, which is a strategic and important issue for Turkey's energy policy making, is considered as an application case study that demonstrated the applicability of the developed fuzzy SWOT model.

Environmental studies for the Iraqi nuclear power plant site selection

Investigation on the general ecological aspects of four candidate sites for the Iraqi Nuclear Plant (NPP) were carried out during February 1988 and lasted for two years. The scope of work included birds, reptiles mammals, natural terrestrial plant macrophytes, fishes, benthos, phytoplankton, zooplankton and pollutants in river Tigris. Areas under investigation were a 20 Km radius around each site and the sector of river Tigris from Baiji to Balad. Candidate sites were Baiji, Mihzam, Abbasiyia and Abu‐Dalaf. Detailed investigations revealed that all sites showed many common features which were mainly of a river valley and a semi‐arid desert habitates. Abu‐Dalaf and Abbasiyia were the spawning and nursery ground for many ecological important fishes species. Houbara bustard and stone curlew species were observed in the western areas of Baiji and Mihizam sites. The investigated areas were found to be a habitat of the desert monitor (Varanus grisues), but variations in population density and distribution among...

Evaluating Methodologies: A Procedure and Application to Nuclear Power Plant Siting Methodologies

A procedure is presented to evaluate the appropriateness of alternative methodologies for analyzing a specified problem. This procedure is illustrated by identifying desirable characteristics of nuclear power plant site selection methodologies and evaluating the adequacy of methodologies that have been used to select nuclear power plant sites. Objectives of such siting methodologies are specified and attributes developed to measure the degree of attainment of each objective. Several siting methodologies are rated on the various attributes and these ratings are analyzed to determine the adequacy of each methodology.