IAEA Completed The OSART Mission At Borssele NPP

An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts concluded an 18-day Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) mission to the Borssele Nuclear Power Plant on 9 February to review operational safety at the plant on the request of the Dutch government.

The OSART team, including 12 experts from the Czech Republic, France, Japan, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and two IAEA staff, said that the operator of the plant EPZ (ENS Corporate Member) is committed to ensuring operational safety and reliability of the plant, for example with its ageing management programme.

The team made daily visits to the Borssele NPP to observe regular plant activities such as maintenance and surveillance works, radiation work permits, training activities and to interview personnel.

The team also encouraged continued improvements, including with its radiation protection programme.

The aim of an OSART mission is to improve operational safety by independently assessing safety performance against the IAEA’s safety standards, by proposing recommendations and, where appropriate, suggestions for improvement. Safety is an essential element during all phases of the lifetime of an NPP.

Read more on IAEA Press Release.

The Borssele NPP – located in the southwest of the Netherlands — was commissioned in 1973.

With its one 482 MW PWR, Borssele contributes 3.1% of the Netherlands’ electricity production.

In November 2020, EPZ published its “Vision on nuclear energy in the Netherlands after 2033”. The document explains EPZ’s plans for the future of nuclear energy in the country, including the lifetime extension of the operating nuclear power plant of Borssele after 2033.

Furthermore, at the end of 2022, the Dutch government announced the selection of the existing Borssele site as a preferred location for the proposed construction of two new nuclear power reactor units.

The government also confirmed that Borssele has “sufficient space” for new build and houses existing infrastructure, including a radioactive waste repository run by COVRA.

According to the cabinet statement, the units should be deployed by 2035, have each a capacity between 1,000 MW and 1,650 MW, and use a Generation III+ reactor technology. Once operational, the new NPPs can supply 9-13% of the country’s total electricity.