Topical peer reviews (TPRs) were introduced by the amended Nuclear Safety Directive in 2014 as a way to increase cooperation between EU Member States on common topics of interest related to nuclear safety. They are organised by the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG), with input from the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA), in cooperation with the European Commission. The first TPR, organised in 2017-2019 addressed ‘ageing management of reactors’.
The second TPR, currently underway, concerns the topic of ‘fire protection at nuclear installations’.
Fire protection was chosen as the topic for the second TPR given that fire is a significant risk for nuclear installations; there is considerable experience on fire-related events; there is scope for reasonably practical improvements; and it is relevant to all nuclear installations within the scope of the Nuclear Safety Directive such as nuclear power plants, research reactors, fuel cycle facilities, spent fuel storage facilities, and storage facilities for radioactive waste on the same site.
Expected outcomes of the peer review process
• Enable participating countries to review their provisions for fire protection to identify strengths and weaknesses.
• Share operating experience and identify findings: common issues or challenges at EU-level, good practices, areas of good performance and areas for improvement.
• Provide an open and transparent framework for participating countries to develop appropriate follow-up measures in national action plans and at the European level in ENSREG action plans.
Transparency and stakeholder engagement
Relevant documents about the TPR are published on the ENSREG website and there are opportunities for public consultation and stakeholder input.
An important part of the process is the opportunity for stakeholders including the public to participate in information seminars as well as to contribute to a written question and answer phase of the review. A stakeholder event was held online in 2021. Consultation on the TPR process documents was also provided. More information is available here: TPR 2 public engagement | ENSREG
Stakeholder participation
This webpage is designed to collect any questions and comments on the contents of the national assessment reports prepared by the participating countries, including some non-EU countries. The reports are available for consultation here: Country specific reports TPR 2 | ENSREG
A special online survey is open for the submission of questions on the topic of fire protection based on the contents of the national assessment reports until 9 February 2024. The countries will be invited to provide written replies to relevant questions. All questions and answers will be published later in 2024 on the ENSREG website. Please note that ENSREG will not reply individually to the questions.
To participate in the stakeholders consultation please follow this link:
https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/0e9045a4-fe58-671f-9a9a-e26abc18395d
