12. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

12.1.SUMMARY

A successful construction project requires:

—Translating strong policies, proven construction methods, established procurement processes, procedures and safety culture into the field;

—Coordinating programmes across organizations, such that the owner, vendor and subcontractors are working in concert.

To meet this challenge, strong communications, including contractual arrangements and a detailed chain of command for various decision making processes, need to be established among organizations and management.

The following paragraphs summarize the construction methods and techniques that have been described in this guideline, and provide recommendations.

12.1.1. Project infrastructure

Research into past construction schedules indicates that early site preparation activities and an established site infrastructure (suitable geology site, roads, rails, barge and utility access) prevent unnecessary delays in the construction schedule.

As part of the project infrastructure, site preparation and design should consider the requirements for all units operating or under construction. This is done to prevent interference in each unit’s operation or construction process, and to account for regional natural phenomena in order to quickly recover after inclement weather and not subject the construction schedule to unnecessary delays.

12.1.2. Material procurement/manufacturing

Long lead equipment, such as RPV fabrication, could be delayed due to limited availability of the nucleargrade large ring forgings that are currently only available from limited suppliers. This potential shortfall is a significant risk to construction schedule and financing.

With the nuclear renaissance on the horizon, the global increase in demand for equipment and material will have an impact on manufacturers/fabricators and the material suppliers that provide manufacturers with the material they need to produce finished equipment.

In this global marketplace for NPP equipment and materials, it is recommended that Member States integrate their planning and coordinate procurement activities to support the construction phase of plants. This is critical to a successful project.

12.1.3. Modularization

New reactor designs and construction plans call for a high degree of modularization to reduce the duration of critical path activities, move significant portions of construction work off-site, and decrease the quantity of bulk supplies that must be installed on-site. Modularization can provide these benefits and others. However, this construction technique also requires a great deal of upfront engineering and planning to ensure orchestrated execution. It is therefore recommended that the constructor maximize the use of 3-D computer modelling to understand the interconnections among modules and throughout the entire plant. These modelling tools can anticipate and prevent installation issues. The effective use of modelling tools can assist in preventing field construction delays by anticipating issues with module fits and equipment installation.

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12.1.4. Construction methods and techniques

This report has listed conventional and recently introduced advanced techniques and methods in different aspects of the construction phase of a project. Each Member State can adopt the technique which can be best applied within its programme, based on the construction infrastructure within the country. This publication serves as a guideline to provide a better understanding of the tools and steps that will support the construction plan for constructing NPPs, and consequently improve technical and management skills.

Whatever methods or tools are adopted for a construction site, it is recommended that required equipment, cranes necessary for open top construction, pipe bending machines, automatic welding machines, etc. be available as needed to support new plant construction.

12.1.5. Quality

Construction projects should implement an independent assessment of the effectiveness of programmes and processes related to construction activities, as well as the effectiveness of personnel in implementing programme and process requirements.

The objective is:

—To ensure that the programmes and processes needed to construct a high quality project work effectively. This should account for construction safety culture, including the establishment of a safety-conscious work environment, QA, industrial safety, and problem identification and resolution;

—To identify and correct adverse conditions timeously and prevent their recurrence, which may result in lengthy construction delays.

12.1.6. Integrated project planning and management

A detailed integrated schedule must be developed to integrate all site development activities with the overall construction schedule. The use of project management tools is crucial in the successful completion of an NPP project by planning, monitoring, analyzing, reporting and controlling the overall project. Baseline budgets should be integrated into the overall schedule. Budget and schedule variances from the established baseline can be used to mitigate project risks that may impact the project schedule and cost overrun.

12.1.7. Labour

Finding qualified labour may be a significant hurdle for new construction projects, especially if multiple plants are being constructed. The use of modularization may alleviate this problem by allowing work on large sections of the plant to be performed at many locations, simultaneously. However, as with any construction project of the scale of a new NPP, finding, training and relocating the labour required to complete the project will be a major challenge.

12.1.8. Safety culture

Together with quality, a safety culture should be established at all levels among the personnel involved from the early stages of the project. The importance of the work of personnel in various project phases towards achieving objectives for quality and safety should be highlighted in the training programme. Experience from the challenges faced by designers, constructors, contractors/sub-contractors, regulators and other stakeholders have made them realize the importance of addressing safety culture in their day to day working.

12.2. CONCLUSION

Achieving short and accurately predicted construction durations is critical to the financial success of any new NPP project. This is one of the challenges facing the global nuclear industry. The key attributes that support the

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successful construction and commissioning of nuclear projects are complete design, manufacturing, fabrication, labour, construction methods, industry lessons learned, procurement, and project infrastructures. This guideline has identified methods and strategies that can be used in the design and construction phases of nuclear projects.

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