Phased deregulation of the Electric Utility Industry has created a new economic climate, one that is especially risky for the nuclear utilities. If the nuclear industry is to survive the new competitive pressures, the unit cost of nuclear power plants must be substantially reduced. APG's Integrated Risk Management (IRM) concept provides a framework for balancing nuclear safety with costs. Quality Assurance (QA) is an excellent area where sizable savings can be realized without affecting the nuclear safety. The principle objective of Phase I is to demonstrate feasibility of converting the APG concept of IRM, described in a number of conference papers, into a multi-element methodology applicable to dramatically downsizing the QA process currently applied by the nuclear utilities. Phase II would entail validation of methodology on a nuclear plant in Texas. The proposed approach consists of: (1) Expanded use of PRA techniques to perform primarily risk-based equipment classification and grading in order to vastly downsize the existing "Q" lists and general approach to quality; (2) retention of some deterministic safety perspectives in cases when probabilistic ones are not available; and (3) implement a cultural shift such as risk culture.
Anticipated Results:Anticipated benefits run into cost savings of $15-30 million per plant per year and an input into the QA regulatory reform for a research investment of $200,000. Expansion of the concept to areas of nuclear power plant operations, other than QA, has an ultimate potential of saving billions of dollars to the nuclear industry in operational costs.
