Title: Reflections on regulatory oversight of nuclear power plants

Authors: Bjorn Wahlstrom

Addresses: Technical Research Centre of Finland, VTT Organizations, Networks and Innovation systems, POB 1000, FIN-02044 VTT (Espoo), Finland

Abstract: A regulatory body acts as a representative for society to ensure that the operation of nuclear facilities do not introduce any undue threats. Typical regulatory tasks include the definition of safety requirements, the inspections needed to ensure that they are adhered to and the imposing of sanctions if violations are detected. Regulatory oversight is anchored in national legislation, which is defining objectives and procedures. Regulatory oversight has, in the nuclear power field an important role in ensuring the continued safety of the facilities. It is, therefore, prudent to ask the question, what requirements should be placed on regulatory oversight to make them effective? The main conclusion of the paper is that a successful regulatory oversight relies on a thorough understanding of the role of being a regulator in relation to the regulated industry.

Keywords: nuclear power plants; nuclear safety; regulatory oversight; nuclear energy; nuclear regulations; regulator role.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNUCL.2007.014805

International Journal of Nuclear Law, 2007 Vol.1 No.4, pp.344 - 377

Published online: 09 Aug 2007 *

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