PAA and CNSC have been cooperating for nuclear safety for many years. The first agreement was concluded in 2014. The new agreement focuses on small modular reactors (SMRs), in particular GE-Hitachi’s BWRX-300. Polish and Canadian regulators will exchange information on best practices and technical reviews on SMR technology. The parties also undertook to share the results of independent analyses and assessments carried out as part of the licensing process. The memorandum also provides for joint activities in in the field of training and development of regulatory solutions to ensure the safety of this technology.
“Today we have taken the first step enabling joint operations with CNSC in the area of small modular reactors, said PAA’s Glowacki. “Experience gained in regulatory review will contribute to optimising the licensing process and harmonising the supervisory approach. This in turn will enable more efficient implementation of these technologies in Poland and in the world.”
Polish company PKN Orlen recently said it was preparing to announce locations for up to 79 GE-Hitachi BWRX-300 SMRs. The reactor is also proposed for deployment at Darlington in Canada, and is going through the vendor design review process in Canada and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) pre-application process.
Image: Rumina Velshi, Chair of the CNSC (left) and Andrzej Glowacki, Acting President of the PAA, at the signing of the agreement in Abu Dhabi (courtesy of PAA)
