This project, started on April 1, 1999, had the specific objectives of determining whether; (i) the focus of the severe accidents (SA) research is consistent with that of the regulatory authorities, (ii) the results obtained so far by SA research satisfy the regulatory concerns, (iii) the future programs, envisaged will address the potential regulatory needs into next century, and (iv) how much weight in the future SA research should be placed on preventive versus mitigative accident management measures.
The project work consisted of Workshops to which the partners contributed. The partners represented their respective regulatory organizations or their technical support organizations. A Questionnaire based on the objectives, listed above, was prepared and sent to several European regulatory authorities. The Questionnaire was also sent to United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission and the regulatory authorities of Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia and Czech Republic. Responses have been received from nine European organizations, four Eastern European organizations, Japanese Safety Commission and the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The responses showed differences between the attitudes of the various regulatory organizations towards SA research accomplishment and needs. Clearly, the responses obtained have statistical value since a wide spectrum of regulatory organizations have contributed, although no statistical analysis was performed. Insights obtained from their responses have been combined and are reported here.