The use of nuclear energy is subject to a licence in Finland. The Nuclear Energy Act presents the requirements concerning the licensing procedures, regulatory oversight and relevant authorities concerning the use of nuclear energy. Supervision is based on up-to-date regulations (note that a regulatory reform is underway), comprehensive inspection programmes and regular safety reassessments.

According to the Nuclear Energy Act, the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) is responsible for setting detailed safety requirements for the implementation of the safety level specified in the Nuclear Energy Act. STUK presents the safety requirements in regulations and the mandatory YVL Guides (nuclear safety guides) and supervises their implementation. The YVL Guides alone present more than 6,000 requirements. The application of the requirements in nuclear power plant projects and other nuclear projects requires practical expertise and a broad understanding of the requirements. The responsibility for the safe use of nuclear energy lies with the licensee and cannot be transferred.

For the success of nuclear industry projects, it is important to identify the right tasks related to licensing and qualification at an early stage and to plan their implementation. With solid experience, Platom prepares licensing and qualification plans for programs and projects. The plans identify the necessary regulatory documentation, approvals and tasks for each stage. We plan their scheduling (that differs from conventional industry) and evaluate the optimised delivery methods and order of delivery for the documentation. With good licensing planning, projects save time and money, without compromising safety.

Regulatory documentation, such as licence applications, safety analyses and reports, plans for principles, pre-inspection documentation, construction plans and suitability assessments, shall be prepared in accordance with the relevant requirements. Platom has extensive experience in coordinating and producing various documentation for the nuclear industry, taking into account the individual needs of each project. We are also happy to help our customers with spare part qualifications.

It is important to monitor the progress of licensing and regulatory tasks as well as the prerequisites for projects to move from one stage to the next. Platom can be involved in creating monitoring procedures, tools, guidelines and training for its customers related to the management of regulatory documentation and approvals.

This post is the first in a series of blog posts related to licensing, the purpose of which is to explain to the reader in more detail the need and content of various regulatory documentation and to present the nuclear-specific requirements set for the management systems of nuclear operators.