IAEA’s recommendations on enhancing the design basic threat (DBT) section in the self-evaluation report for nuclear power plant
Abstract
Vietnam has proactively resumed its nuclear power development program as of early 2025, marked by governmental decisions to establish a Steering Committee for the construction of nuclear power plants (NPPs) [1]. The Government has officially designated the Vietnam Electricity Corporation (EVN) and the Vietnam National Industry - Energy Group (PVN) as the principal investors for the Ninh Thuan 1 and Ninh Thuan 2 NPP projects, respectively [2].
The development of nuclear power plants entails not only technologically sophisticated and capital-intensive infrastructure, but also necessitates strategic international collaboration, particularly with countries that supply nuclear materials and advanced technologies. To secure such cooperation, a nation pursuing nuclear energy must undergo a comprehensive assessment by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which evaluates compliance with 19 key infrastructure conditions. Among these, nuclear security stands out as a critical criterion, ensuring the protection of nuclear materials and associated infrastructure throughout the lifecycle of the plant - from construction and operation to eventual decommissioning.
In the period of 2012 - 2014, when Vietnam was in the early stage of its nuclear power program, the IAEA assessed that Vietnam needed to incorporate a Design Basis Threat (DBT), a foundational element in developing a robust Physical Protection System (PPS), in the “Mission report on the integrated infrastructure review” (INIR 2012) [3]. To review the areas requiring improvement in line with the recommendations of this report, this article focuses on analyzing the Physical Protection System (PPS) for nuclear power plants, based on the IAEA’s most recent technical guidance on evaluating the status of national nuclear infrastructure development “Evaluation of the status of national nuclear infrastructure development”, IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NG-T-3.2 (Rev. 2) [4].
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