17 1월 FORATOM requests the European Commission to support the European Nuclear Supply Chain.
The safe and reliable operation of the European nuclear power plants depends on the availability of a strong and diversified supply chain, which guarantees high levels of quality. According to the FORATOM report published on June 10, 2020, the European Commission should support EU Member States in conducting a revision of the regulatory framework to allow the use of modern high-quality components manufactured by other industries.
As indicated in the strategic vision of the European Commission “A Clean Planet for All”, nuclear power together with renewables energies will constitute the energy mix in 2050, in order to reduce CO2 emissions. Despite this, the average age of the European Nuclear Power Plants is of 35 years, which means that, unless lifetime extension programmes are approved, 90% of the plants will be shut down in 2035.
Improving safety is one of the fundamental foundations in the lifetime extension programmes of nuclear power plants, therefore a strong and diversified supply chain is necessary to have evidence of high levels of safety, quality and reliability.
In the report carried out by FORATOM under the title “Optimizing the European Nuclear Supply Chain – Use of High-Quality Industrial Grade Items in European Nuclear Installations”, the following recommendations were presented to make the most of the expertise of the European Supply Chain on the use of High-quality commercial grade items:
- Development of a European Guide to include a common methodology which establishes the acceptance criteria for commercial grade items with high-quality standards for safety-related applications.
- Development of a National Guide in the EU Member States for the use of high-quality and commercial grade items, based on the previously proposed European guide.
- Revision of the procedures used in the nuclear industry to establish the bases for a more efficient market.
- Self-assessment of the European nuclear industry to identify optimal solutions, around the harmonization of requirements and manufacturing practices.
Nucleonova is a company specialized in Procurement Engineering, and as a part of the supply chain of nuclear power plants, carries out supplier’s research and evaluation, supervisions, control and monitoring of manufacturing processes, Commercial Grade Items Dedication (CGID) and preparation of final dossiers. Therefore, Nucleonova knows first-hand the need to harmonize the supply chain and share the experience acquired in the European Nuclear Power Plants. With this purpose, Nucleonova supports initiatives such as the one presented by FORATOM and actively participates in different forums where experiences are shared and challenges and optimal solutions are identified within the supply chain of nuclear power plants.
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