Periodic Report Summary 1 - ARCADIA (Assessment of Regional CApabilities for new reactors Development through an Integrated Approach)
Project Context and Objectives:
ALFRED (Advanced Lead Fast Reactor Demonstrator) is intended to be built in Romania by a consortium of nuclear research organisations and industry from Member States interested in developing and exploiting this technology. Construction of ALFRED in Romania raises a large number of questions that must be considered before the final decision is made. These include taking, where appropriate, benefits from Generation III reactor developments and carefully looking at possible safety improvements.
As in any new nuclear project, the construction of ALFRED in Romania raises a large range of questions that must be considered before the final decision is made. These questions regard not only the technical-scientific aspects and licensing, but also financial and socio-economic aspects, public acceptability and national support. In addition, entrusting an international consortium with the management of a real, industrial project poses a number of brand new questions that have to be approached.
ARCADIA project main objective is to evaluate the feasibility of ALFRED construction in Romania, considering all these aspects, each equally important in the final decision of ALFRED construction in Romania.
The results of the ARCADIA activities will draw a clear picture of the competences and infrastructures that are already available for supporting the ALFRED project through a regional-integrated approach. In parallel, the same picture will provide a measure of the knowledge gaps that need to be filled to ensure the full reliability to the project.
Licensing the reference site for ALFRED construction is discussed and special requirements will be clarified with the regulatory organisations, while the early public involvement in the implementation of such a new nuclear technology will be initiated within the local community. ARCADIA will clarify the steps for siting and construction of the facility according to European and national requirements.
Getting national support for implementation of this demonstrator in Romania is essential for the success of the ALFRED project and ARCADIA will make it known among the decision makers involving representatives from local authorities, Parliament and Government to be part of an open multidisciplinary dialogue Group, establishing from the very beginning a frame based on the principles of the European governance.
Potential use of research reactors operating in the ARCADIA countries will be analysed to identify their future use in experimental tests needed for further investigations on lead technology.
In addition to innovative reactor focus ARCADIA project will also consider the contribution of research reactors to safety improvement of Gen III reactors, contributing therefore to NUGENIA objectives.
The activities of ARCADIA will improve the collaborative culture in the region favoring the natural process of team construction and strengthening based on skills, expertise, complementarities and power to produce valuable research results with ambitious objectives.
Project Results:
Activities on Supporting Skills and Infrastructures for ALFRED demonstrator concentrated on the definition of the functional roles and their specific activities of all actors required for its realization. A list of competences that are required for each actor has been prepared. In parallel a broad survey of the existing competence building methods followed by analysis to investigate the appropriateness of the present E&T schemes with the ALFRED requirements produced suggestions for appropriate learning activities and examination forms, identification of potential sites and funding sources for appropriate training, and a plan for optimal communication of competence building among ARCADIA members.
Analysis of the national, regional and European licensing framework for GenIII/III+ and GenIV has been done in order to propose a communication approach (with the regulatory body, local and national authorities, and public), to assess the impact of waste management issues, to produce an action list of open issues for ALFRED licensing. The procedural steps, needed documents, expected level of details, and also competences to be involved have been identified and presented in D2.1-Definition of the Licensing procedure as result of the integration the contribution of the ARCADIA partners, technical support organizations and representative of European organizations and structures into a regional perspective. The activities devoted to the ALFRED siting at Mioveni (Romania) identified the steps, procedures and requirements as requested by the current national framework, cross-boundary and environmental and public participation aspects. they are presented in D2.3-Definition of the Siting procedure. The dialogue with the local community already started with the creation of ALFRED Local Group involving the representatives of the local population and stakeholders.
Activities done to define and elaborate on the major requirements needed to produce the Feasibility Study (FS) of ALFRED demonstrator resulted in a complete list of the elements which integrates the Romanian requirements. As result of brainstorming, focus groups activities, etc. competitive advantages and core values have been listed, elements characterising the social impact for the specific case of Romania have been identified, financial tools available in the different have been discussed, and a large list of risks has been developed. All these will be further discussed and assessed.
Efforts have been done to set up a platform of communication among nuclear specialists and national authorities involved in the decisional process for ALFRED implementation based on the European governance principles. As result, a working group was created around the Inter-Ministerial Committee dedicated to ALFRED, which brings together ARCADIA specialists in Gen IV, national authorities involved in the decisional process and politicians. The first objective in front of the Group is to define the process to be driven to include ALFRED in the list of Major Projects in Romania, and it was approached by the meetings organized during this period.
Activities on Research Reactors networking for LFR technology and improved LWR safety consisted in participation of ARCADIA partners in the development by NUGENIA of an interactive map of the existing infrastructures, on literature review of the existing publications on the research needs for LWR safety and on the instrumentation and control systems in LWR safety and collection of data on the research reactors characteristics and their actual potential for irradiation tests specific for Gen IV requirements.
Two Workshops facilitated the communication of ARCADIA with other European projects, structures and organizations, opening ways for further collaboration. The website, project presentation in European events, newsletter, as elements of the dissemination strategy, insured the visibility of the project at national and European level.
Potential Impact:
The results of the ARCADIA activities will draw a clear picture of the competences and infrastructures that are already available for supporting the ALFRED project through a regional-integrated approach. In parallel, the same picture will provide a measure of the knowledge gaps that need to be filled to ensure the full reliability to the project. These gaps will be translated into a roadmap and will represent advice for driving the activities of the FALCON (Fostering Alfred Consortium) consortium.
The project is expected to enhance discussion at international level and, therefore, produce a wide synergistic approach to the actual themes to be tackled in the local and regional system to development a LFR demonstrator. The roadmap will become a reference point for setting deadlines and the rhythms for the full development of the project.
The project will bring also clarifications on the siting and licensing procedures as result of the dialogue initiated with the regulatory bodies and of the synthesis of a broad analysis of existing provisions at national, regional and European.
Development of the key elements of the Feasibility Study highlightening the competitive and core values, socio-economic benefits, but also the risks associated to such investment will be a real progress in the preparatory phase of ALFRED implementation.
Opening a transparent dialogue about ALFRED construction in Romania in a multi-disciplinary working group including the relevant players in the decisional process will contribute to strengthen the national support needed to obtain the necessary funding.
The definition of a management model and an overall structure able to conduct socio-economic studies of interest to decision makers involved in ALFRED implementation provide an effective link between “hard” and “soft” sciences in the support process around ALFRED, strengthening the role of the scientific-technological research community in governmental decision making processes.
Reaching these objectives will impact the national, regional and also the European level. Therefore, at national level, the project will contribute to:
- increase the awareness of research partners, policy-makers and end-users on the real and exhaustive needs in the competences, infrastructures and financing resources for the planned research projects with a focus on needs for ALFRED implementation
- bridge the gap between research, policy-makers and end-users, leading to an improved national support for the nuclear research and to a better national management of competences;
- a better integration of the views of experts and organisations in the national R&D policies,
- empower research and education centres and policy-makers with the methodology and visions on competence building
- high quality research in the NMS through an adequate promotion of appropriate measures and new research topics in national R&D policies
- grow up the excellence groups by adding new competences, using existing complementarities at national level and increasing collaboration across whole Europe. .
At regional level ARCADIA project will contribute to:
- eliminate duplication, reduce the fragmentation and increase the efficiency of resources producing a better coherence of the individual national research programmes.
- a better understanding on the use of cohesion funds
- create the critical mass in fields with existing excellence but limited to small national groups favored by the joint work in building a common methodology and vision for new competences.
At European level the project will impact on:
- the better use of existing resources at European level by increasing the natural process of European team construction and consortia, and consolidation/strengthening based on skills, competences, complementarities and improved networking
- reducing the difference between the competence level in New and Old Member States
List of Websites:
http://www.projectarcadia.eu/
ALFRED (Advanced Lead Fast Reactor Demonstrator) is intended to be built in Romania by a consortium of nuclear research organisations and industry from Member States interested in developing and exploiting this technology. Construction of ALFRED in Romania raises a large number of questions that must be considered before the final decision is made. These include taking, where appropriate, benefits from Generation III reactor developments and carefully looking at possible safety improvements.
As in any new nuclear project, the construction of ALFRED in Romania raises a large range of questions that must be considered before the final decision is made. These questions regard not only the technical-scientific aspects and licensing, but also financial and socio-economic aspects, public acceptability and national support. In addition, entrusting an international consortium with the management of a real, industrial project poses a number of brand new questions that have to be approached.
ARCADIA project main objective is to evaluate the feasibility of ALFRED construction in Romania, considering all these aspects, each equally important in the final decision of ALFRED construction in Romania.
The results of the ARCADIA activities will draw a clear picture of the competences and infrastructures that are already available for supporting the ALFRED project through a regional-integrated approach. In parallel, the same picture will provide a measure of the knowledge gaps that need to be filled to ensure the full reliability to the project.
Licensing the reference site for ALFRED construction is discussed and special requirements will be clarified with the regulatory organisations, while the early public involvement in the implementation of such a new nuclear technology will be initiated within the local community. ARCADIA will clarify the steps for siting and construction of the facility according to European and national requirements.
Getting national support for implementation of this demonstrator in Romania is essential for the success of the ALFRED project and ARCADIA will make it known among the decision makers involving representatives from local authorities, Parliament and Government to be part of an open multidisciplinary dialogue Group, establishing from the very beginning a frame based on the principles of the European governance.
Potential use of research reactors operating in the ARCADIA countries will be analysed to identify their future use in experimental tests needed for further investigations on lead technology.
In addition to innovative reactor focus ARCADIA project will also consider the contribution of research reactors to safety improvement of Gen III reactors, contributing therefore to NUGENIA objectives.
The activities of ARCADIA will improve the collaborative culture in the region favoring the natural process of team construction and strengthening based on skills, expertise, complementarities and power to produce valuable research results with ambitious objectives.
Project Results:
Activities on Supporting Skills and Infrastructures for ALFRED demonstrator concentrated on the definition of the functional roles and their specific activities of all actors required for its realization. A list of competences that are required for each actor has been prepared. In parallel a broad survey of the existing competence building methods followed by analysis to investigate the appropriateness of the present E&T schemes with the ALFRED requirements produced suggestions for appropriate learning activities and examination forms, identification of potential sites and funding sources for appropriate training, and a plan for optimal communication of competence building among ARCADIA members.
Analysis of the national, regional and European licensing framework for GenIII/III+ and GenIV has been done in order to propose a communication approach (with the regulatory body, local and national authorities, and public), to assess the impact of waste management issues, to produce an action list of open issues for ALFRED licensing. The procedural steps, needed documents, expected level of details, and also competences to be involved have been identified and presented in D2.1-Definition of the Licensing procedure as result of the integration the contribution of the ARCADIA partners, technical support organizations and representative of European organizations and structures into a regional perspective. The activities devoted to the ALFRED siting at Mioveni (Romania) identified the steps, procedures and requirements as requested by the current national framework, cross-boundary and environmental and public participation aspects. they are presented in D2.3-Definition of the Siting procedure. The dialogue with the local community already started with the creation of ALFRED Local Group involving the representatives of the local population and stakeholders.
Activities done to define and elaborate on the major requirements needed to produce the Feasibility Study (FS) of ALFRED demonstrator resulted in a complete list of the elements which integrates the Romanian requirements. As result of brainstorming, focus groups activities, etc. competitive advantages and core values have been listed, elements characterising the social impact for the specific case of Romania have been identified, financial tools available in the different have been discussed, and a large list of risks has been developed. All these will be further discussed and assessed.
Efforts have been done to set up a platform of communication among nuclear specialists and national authorities involved in the decisional process for ALFRED implementation based on the European governance principles. As result, a working group was created around the Inter-Ministerial Committee dedicated to ALFRED, which brings together ARCADIA specialists in Gen IV, national authorities involved in the decisional process and politicians. The first objective in front of the Group is to define the process to be driven to include ALFRED in the list of Major Projects in Romania, and it was approached by the meetings organized during this period.
Activities on Research Reactors networking for LFR technology and improved LWR safety consisted in participation of ARCADIA partners in the development by NUGENIA of an interactive map of the existing infrastructures, on literature review of the existing publications on the research needs for LWR safety and on the instrumentation and control systems in LWR safety and collection of data on the research reactors characteristics and their actual potential for irradiation tests specific for Gen IV requirements.
Two Workshops facilitated the communication of ARCADIA with other European projects, structures and organizations, opening ways for further collaboration. The website, project presentation in European events, newsletter, as elements of the dissemination strategy, insured the visibility of the project at national and European level.
Potential Impact:
The results of the ARCADIA activities will draw a clear picture of the competences and infrastructures that are already available for supporting the ALFRED project through a regional-integrated approach. In parallel, the same picture will provide a measure of the knowledge gaps that need to be filled to ensure the full reliability to the project. These gaps will be translated into a roadmap and will represent advice for driving the activities of the FALCON (Fostering Alfred Consortium) consortium.
The project is expected to enhance discussion at international level and, therefore, produce a wide synergistic approach to the actual themes to be tackled in the local and regional system to development a LFR demonstrator. The roadmap will become a reference point for setting deadlines and the rhythms for the full development of the project.
The project will bring also clarifications on the siting and licensing procedures as result of the dialogue initiated with the regulatory bodies and of the synthesis of a broad analysis of existing provisions at national, regional and European.
Development of the key elements of the Feasibility Study highlightening the competitive and core values, socio-economic benefits, but also the risks associated to such investment will be a real progress in the preparatory phase of ALFRED implementation.
Opening a transparent dialogue about ALFRED construction in Romania in a multi-disciplinary working group including the relevant players in the decisional process will contribute to strengthen the national support needed to obtain the necessary funding.
The definition of a management model and an overall structure able to conduct socio-economic studies of interest to decision makers involved in ALFRED implementation provide an effective link between “hard” and “soft” sciences in the support process around ALFRED, strengthening the role of the scientific-technological research community in governmental decision making processes.
Reaching these objectives will impact the national, regional and also the European level. Therefore, at national level, the project will contribute to:
- increase the awareness of research partners, policy-makers and end-users on the real and exhaustive needs in the competences, infrastructures and financing resources for the planned research projects with a focus on needs for ALFRED implementation
- bridge the gap between research, policy-makers and end-users, leading to an improved national support for the nuclear research and to a better national management of competences;
- a better integration of the views of experts and organisations in the national R&D policies,
- empower research and education centres and policy-makers with the methodology and visions on competence building
- high quality research in the NMS through an adequate promotion of appropriate measures and new research topics in national R&D policies
- grow up the excellence groups by adding new competences, using existing complementarities at national level and increasing collaboration across whole Europe. .
At regional level ARCADIA project will contribute to:
- eliminate duplication, reduce the fragmentation and increase the efficiency of resources producing a better coherence of the individual national research programmes.
- a better understanding on the use of cohesion funds
- create the critical mass in fields with existing excellence but limited to small national groups favored by the joint work in building a common methodology and vision for new competences.
At European level the project will impact on:
- the better use of existing resources at European level by increasing the natural process of European team construction and consortia, and consolidation/strengthening based on skills, competences, complementarities and improved networking
- reducing the difference between the competence level in New and Old Member States
List of Websites:
http://www.projectarcadia.eu/