REACTOR SAFETY RESEARCH

On July 19, 1994, the German Federal Parliament adopted the Coal/Nucle ar Power Omnibus Law, in which a new quality of safety of future nucle ar power plants has been laid down. The defense-in-depth safety concep t underlying the nuclear power plants currently in operation is derive d from the principle of safety precautions made against reactor accide nts, and encompasses preventive measures of accident management and mi tigating measures of containing possible consequences. Accident manage ment lends to the requirement that even in the most unlikely accidents with core meltdown the consequences remain limited to the plant. A ne w quality in reactor safety is represented by the System 80+ advanced pressurized water reactor and by the European Pressurized Water Reacto r, EPR. Despite different views about the approaches used to address i ndividual aspects in the achievement of safety goals, there is agreeme nt on the principle that risk provisions, by achieving more transparen cy, are to result in better public acceptance of the peaceful uses of nuclear power.