Arranging activities of NPP personnel in case of seismic impacts: Akkuyu NPP experience after earthquakes on February 6, 2023

Data on the Akkuyu NPP operating experience in the conditions of devastating earthquakes in Turkey on February 6, 2023 are presented. In accordance with the response of the Akkuyu NPP personnel to earthquakes, approaches to organizing personnel actions during seismic impacts in accordance with local regulatory documents in force at that time are considered. An overview of international experience in regulatory regulation regarding the response of NPP personnel to earthquakes and a comparison with Russian approaches is given. Regulatory and organizational gaps have been identified in terms of staff response both in the local regulatory documents of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC and in the Russian regulatory documents in force at the NPP. The analysis of countries with a developed nuclear industry confirms the need for clear and flexible response procedures, even in case of seismic impacts that have not reached the design level. In order to eliminate the identified organizational problems, activities are developed and implemented to finalize the local regulations «Actions for the implementation of preventive measures in case of a threat of emergency situations at the Akkuyu NPP site» by including activities for the response and actions of personnel. Activities are proposed to improve seismic monitoring at the site which for the first time established an urgent notification mechanism for recorded seismic fluctuations with ground acceleration ≥0.01g at the Akkuyu NPP
or in a city of mass residence of personnel within one hour after the event. Engineering and organizational activities are proposed to increase the level of safety of personnel and equipment. It is noted that the Russian federal standards
NP-064-17, which focus on consideration of impact parameters during design and operation, do not cover aspects of responding to low- and medium-intensity seismic events. The need to refine the regulatory framework by supplementing the norms of NP-064-17 in terms of formalizing the levels of response and notification of personnel in such seismic events is justified, which will standardize the actions of personnel and prevent unjustified risks.

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