An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Site External Events and Design (SEED) review mission has conducted a seismic review of the Atmea 1 reactor design at the request of Atmea - a joint venture between France's Areva and Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). The team assessed the technical methodologies used in the seismic design of the Atmea 1 reactor against IAEA Safety Standards and concluded they are "aligned" with relevant IAEA Safety Standards.

The Atmea joint venture was established by Areva and MHI in September 2007 to develop, market, license and sell the Atmea 1 reactor design: an 1,100MWe pressurised water reactor combining technologies of both companies. Turkey's second nuclear power plant, at Sinop on its Black Sea coast, is proposed to feature four Atmea 1 reactors.

The IAEA's SEED review service aims to assist the member states at the different stages of the site selection, site assessment and design of structures, systems and components against the site specific external and internal hazards. It provides an independent review of the site evaluation and the designed safety of a nuclear installation against the demands of the external hazards both natural and human induced and internal hazards. Previous SEED reviews have focused on the early stages of nuclear power projects. This is the first focusing specifically on seismic safety for a new reactor design.

Date: Wednesday, 30 November 2016
Original article: neimagazine.com/news/newsiaea-finds-atmea-1-reactor-design-meets-relevant-safety-standards-5684177