Dated May 2007

Member States intending to introduce a nuclear power programme will need to pass through several phases during the implementation. Experience shows that careful planning of the objectives, roles, responsibilities, interfaces and tasks to be carried out in different phases of a nuclear project is important for success. This publication presents a harmonized approach that may be used to structure the owner/operator management system and establish and manage nuclear projects and their development activities irrespective of the adopted approach. It has been developed from shared management practices and consolidated experiences provided by nuclear project management specialists through a series of workshops and working groups organized by the IAEA. The resultant publication presents a useful framework for the management of nuclear projects from initiation to closeout and captures international best practices.

This publication provides guidance on project management from the preparatory phase to plant turnover to commissioning of nuclear power plants. The guidelines and experiences described will enable project managers to obtain better performance in nuclear power plant construction.

Project management is a leadership function primarily concerned with the organization, coordination and control of large undertakings, with the aim of achieving technical excellence, by working to quality standards, optimizing the schedule and the supply chain and minimizing costs. Competent project management can reduce costs through more efficient work sequences, higher productivity, shorter activity durations and the parallel reduction of accumulated interest during construction of nuclear power plants. Based on past proven practices in Member States, this publication provides advice and gu.

The development and implementation of an appropriate infrastructure to support the successful introduction of nuclear power and its safe, secure, peaceful and sustainable application is an issue of central concern, especially for countries that are considering and planning their first nuclear power plant. In preparing the necessary nuclear infrastructure, there are several activities that need to be completed. These activities can be split into three progressive phases of development. This publication provides a description of the conditions expected to be achieved by the end of each phase to assist with the best use of resources. 'Milestones' refer to the conditions necessary to demonstrate that the phase has been successfully completed.

This guidebook provides specific advice and guidance to project management for the construction of nuclear power plants. While operating performance of nuclear power plants has been improving in recent years and has generally been comparable to or better than that of fossil fired plants in the same size ranges, performance during construction has been variable. Although additional licensing requirements, public intervention and funding problems have been blamed for most of the delays and cost increases, there is growing recognition that lack of proper project management has been a major factor.

"A robust national nuclear safety infrastructure is essential for the deployment of the first nuclear power plant. A major challenge in this process is the development of an effective legal and governmental framework for safety, including an independent regulatory body. This publication supplements existing guidance in the IAEA safety standards on the development of an effective safety infrastructure and provides further assistance to new entrant regulatory bodies on the key challenges they will face throughout the life cycle of the first nuclear power plant. The publication focuses on the phases of a nuclear power deployment programme from the granting of a license for construction to granting the license for commissioning and operation."--Publisher's description.

This open access book discusses the eroding economics of nuclear power for electricity generation as well as technical, legal, and political acceptance issues. The use of nuclear power for electricity generation is still a heavily disputed issue. Aside from technical risks, safety issues, and the unsolved problem of nuclear waste disposal, the economic performance is currently a major barrier. In recent years, the costs have skyrocketed especially in the European countries and North America. At the same time, the costs of alternatives such as photovoltaics and wind power have significantly decreased.

In addition to the nuclear power industry, the nuclear field has extensive projects and activities in the areas of research reactors, medical isotope production, decommissioning, and remediation of contaminated sites. Managing nuclear projects focuses on the management aspects of nuclear projects in a wide range of areas with emphasis on process, requirements, and lessons learned.Part one provides a general overview of the nuclear industry including basic principles for managing nuclear projects, nuclear safety culture, management of worker risk, training, and management of complex projects. Part two focuses on managing reactor projects with discussion on a variety of topics including management of research reactor projects, medical radioisotope production, power reactor modifications, power uprates, outage management, and management of nuclear-related R&D. Chapters in part three highlight the areas of radioactive waste and spent fuel management, reactor decommissioning, and remediation of radioactively contaminated sites. Finally, part four explores regulation, guidance and emergency management in the nuclear industry. Chapters discuss quality assurance and auditing programs, licensing procedures for nuclear installations, emergency preparedness, management of nuclear crises, and international nuclear cooperation.With its distinguished editor and contributors, Managing Nuclear Projects is a valuable resource for project managers, plant managers, engineers, regulators, training professionals, consultants, and academics. - Examines the basic principles of managing nuclear projects focussing on processes and requirements - Discusses the management of reactor projects - Explores regulation, guidance and emergency management in the nuclear industry