Juan Carlos Lentijo emphasised critical importance of fire protection for safety of European nuclear facilities in ENSREG thematic seminar

Peer review system was adopted after Fukushima accident and mandatory for all EU Members

Juan Carlos Lentijo, President of the Spanish Nuclear Safety Council and Chairman of the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG), today has participated in a thematic seminar on fire protection in nuclear installations, the subject of the second Topical Peer Review exercise (TPR II). In his opening speech, Mr Lentijo highlighted the need to strengthen international regulatory framework to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities in Europe.

“The peer review is one of the most important milestones in the ENSREG work programme. In the period 2021-2023, the terms of reference for TPR II (fire protection) and the self-assessment phase were completed. Lentijo said. “In the 2024-2026 period, national regulators will submit their Action Plans,” he added.

The CSN President also emphasised that fire protection represents a challenge for nuclear facilities and that the TPR is a crucial tool to address this. The peer review system was introduced after the Fukushima accident and is mandatory for all Member States of European Union. Through this process, regulators can learn from the experience of other countries and assess the measures they have implemented.

Lentijo underlined the progress made in the first Topical Peer Review on ageing management and in the initial phases of TPR II. He expressed his gratitude to all the regulators, licensees, and members of international organisations for their contributions to the development of the current framework, as well as the effort and resources invested in this process. Juan Carlos Lentijo also specifically recognised the leadership of Sylvie Cadet-Mercier as Chair of the TPR II Board.

Topical Peer Reviews

ENSREG, with the technical support of the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA), developed the methodology and timeline for Topical Peer Reviews, which are based on a broad factual knowledge developed by national regulators.

Topical Peer Reviews aim to identify improvements, both general and country-specific, and to ensure each country's follow-up through its national action plans, which address the relevant conclusions of ENSREG and also inspire its future work.

Transparency is assured throughout the peer review process, as it offers opportunities for public involvement and participation. All documents and reports are published on the ENSREG website.

The first exercise (TPR I), focused on ageing management of installations, involved 16 EU Member States, three non-EU countries, analysed 153 nuclear reactors and 16 research reactors, and involved more than fifty experts. In addition, 2,300 questions were asked of the various reports during the review process, and there were 140 participants in the results presentation workshop.

ENSREG

ENSREG is a high-level advisory group created in 2007 at the request of the European Commission to raise recommendations to the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament on Nuclear Safety and Nuclear Waste Management. The CSN participates in its meetings as well as in ENSREG working groups dedicated to the areas of Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management, International Cooperation and Communication and Transparency.

This forum is composed of senior officials from national regulatory authorities of nuclear safety, radioactive waste safety, and radiological protection, as well as representatives from all EU Member States and the European Commission. Its mission is to promote the continuous improvement of nuclear safety and to achieve a common understanding in these areas.

ENSREG operates as an independent body, facilitating the implementation of the EU Nuclear Safety Directive and the EU Waste Management Directive, improving cooperation and transparency among Member States, and advising the European Commission on proposals to improve nuclear safety.