Perspectives in licensing and nuclear reactor safety technology

Key aspects and perspectives in Nuclear reactor Safety Technology (NST) are discussed in the paper. Following an outline of the complexity of the NST concept attention is given to the licensing process. Licensor and licensee are key actors for conducting the licensing process. Highly competent technologists are needed for and active role in the process: this may require life experience in specific subjects. The availability of such personnel is difficult to be gathered by any individual company or institution, whatever licensor or licensee. This is true even in Countries where nuclear technology was developed soon after the second World War. The same condition to engage life-experts for each specific licensing subject is almost unreachable in Countries where the exploitation of nuclear technology started later or, anyway, in small Countries. Deep expertise is also required when an innovative nuclear installation is designed and put in operation. As a consequence of all of this, either the actual licensing processes are not performed according to the best practice available at the international level, or the cost of the process, i.e. of involving top level expertise in each licensing subject, may become prohibitive. The bases are put to constitute a Consortium of Competence in Nuclear Technology (COCONUT) where the key licensing subjects are identified and the life-experts for each subject are cooperating. The paper discussed the technological background for the creation of COCONUT