During the week of September 10th, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) – International Regulatory Development Partnership (IRDP) sponsored a training on how to conduct a Safety Analysis Report (SAR) review for the Nuclear Regulatory Authority of Ghana in Accra, Ghana. The IRDP instructors, Mr. Mark Tonacci and Mr. Robert Gramm, provided the training.) The course provided participants with an overview of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC) licensing approach focused on issuance of a Construction Permit for a nuclear power plant, as well as basic concepts associated with nuclear safety and regulation. The workshop focused on the applicable licensing process and guidance documents used by the US NRC to grant a Construction Permit for a nuclear station. The instructors supplemented this discussion with relevant International Atomic Energy Agency guidance that the NRA staff would find useful for comparison.
Key aspects of the workshop included the use of NUREG-0800 (NRC’s Standard Review Plan); Safety Analysis Report format and content guidance; process steps including acceptance review, development of the safety evaluation report and request for information questions; key roles and responsibilities; and permit issuance. In addition to the classroom lecture and group discussions, the instructors provided illustrative examples from the US NRC experiences. The instructors led group exercises that helped strengthen participants’ understanding and knowledge of the US NRC licensing guidance documents and develop sample safety evaluation reports and requests for additional information.
The workshop format was kept informal and flexible to allow for questions and answers throughout the sessions, which helped participants to fully understand each topic. The workshop also covered other related licensing activities and topics related to regulatory body staffing and infrastructure. The participants actively engaged in the discussions and worked collaboratively with their colleagues during the group exercises. Feedback from the NRA participants and management demonstrated that the workshop was very well received.