A mission to Korea
Ensuring that the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Organization, its partners and contractors implement the highest standards of safety and quality is central to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. It is a matter of regulation, but it is also a matter of culture. As nuclear operator, the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Organization has an obligation to verify that the rules and provisions for Installations nucléaires de base, as defined by French law, are understood and applied by all. Over the past years, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ nuclear inspectors have performed many such verifications. For a whole week in early June, they were in Korea—first for an in-depth inspection at Hyundai Heavy Industries, the manufacturer of four of the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ vacuum vessel sectors, then for a one-day audit at one of the companies bidding for the repair and/or re-fabrication of the thermal shield.
Although they are ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Organization employees, nuclear inspectors Thomas Sobrier and Usama Abdulkader are "independent" experts. It is their mission to verify that the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Organization itself, the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Domestic Agencies, and all the entities that participate in the project implement the requirements related to management of Protection Important Components¹ (PIC) and Protection Important Activities. In Korea, they were accompanied by Gilles Perrier, the Head of ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ's Safety & Quality Department.
"Beyond the regulatory inspection process, and beyond the regular contacts we have on the occasion of the ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Council or other formal meetings, it was very important for me to connect with the teams in the Korean Domestic Agency and build a true, human relationship with them," says Perrier. "And the same goes for the teams at Hyundai Heavy Industries. The personal relationship is essential to keep progressing together in an integrated manner and to align our approach to quality and safety."
At the Korean Domestic Agency and at Hyundai Heavy Industries, the inspection focused on how the lessons learned from the manufacturing of the first three vacuum vessel sectors, already delivered to ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, informed the ongoing processes for the fourth sector and vacuum vessel ports still under fabrication. The inspectors highlighted good practices and identified opportunities for improvement. The visit was also an opportunity to visit the KSTAR tokamak in Daejeon.
As for the quality audit at one of the thermal shield repair/re-fabrication bidders, it aimed to verify the company's quality management compliance with the ISO:9001 standard as well as to determine its suitability and capability to meet ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ requirements. Good practices were observed, and opportunities for improvement were identified.
¹French nuclear safety authorities (ASN) classify as Protection Important Components the equipment that keeps the facility in a safe state and prevents or mitigates nuclear risks to humans and the environment. Protection Important Components are subject to regulation and inspection.