NNSA’s Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI) sponsors a project promoting international Safeguards by Design (SBD). The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA ) has described the SBD concept as an approach in which “international safeguards are fully integrated into the design process of a new nuclear facility from the initial planning through design, construction, operation, and decommissioning.” SBD has two main objectives: (1) to avoid costly and time-consuming redesign work or retrofits of new nuclear fuel cycle facilities and (2) to make the implementation of international safeguards more effective and efficient at such facilities.
The NGSI SBD project works with the IAEA, industry partners, and likeminded countries. NGSI is working towards transforming SBD from a slogan into standard practice by making SBD guidance documents available to industry users, engaging with industry and the IAEA, and promoting the SBD concept among stakeholders (e.g., industry and state regulatory authorities).
As part of this effort, NGSI has developed a series of facility-specific guidance for designers and operators to be used as reference documents.
SBD Guidance for Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installations [1] [PDF]
SBD Guidance for Natural Uranium Conversion Plants [2] [PDF]
SBD Guidance for Research Reactors and Critical Assemblies [3] [PDF]
SBD Guidance for Pebble Fuel High Temperature Gas Reactors [4] [PDF]
SBD Guidance for Prismatic Fuelled High Temperature Gas Reactors [5] [PDF]
SBD Guidance for Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plants [6] [PDF]
Overview of the Facility Safeguardability Analysis [7] [PDF]
