Safety of Nuclear Power Plants and Big Safety in a Time of Covid-19

The paper analyzes challenges caused by Covid-19 pandemic to ensure NPP safety, considers experience accumulated in nuclear energy industry for many years, which may be used in other critical industries in the context of so-called “Big Safety”. The paper provides for measures implemented at Ukrainian NPPs and NPPs of other countries by energy companies in the conditions of Covid-19 to preserve personnel health, which is the main task of ensuring safety. Introducing of the “Big Safety” concept (sometimes called “infrastructure safety”) related to big and complex systems as NPPs is analyzed by analogy with the “Big Data” concept. The study proposes the “Big Safety” concept characterized by systemic, informational and generic aspects. NPP safety is an example of the “Big Safety” since it comprises such aspects. The paper also covers the analysis of “Big Safety” components including functional, informational, physical safety, which are supplemented by infectious safety. It defines possibilities and options of NPP operational experience feedback for other critical systems in the context of “Big Safety”: experience and structure of a powerful system of standards and regulation of their requirements; implementation of modern electronic and information technologies (for example, FPGA) taking into account safety deficits; development and application of advanced systems and tools for monitoring and diagnostics of equipment and various NPP systems; use of independency, diversity and defense in depth principles; implementation of independent verification and validation principle. The paper covers the aspects of the Black Swan effect analyzed on examples of Covid-19 pandemic and Chornobyl NPP accident. The strategies of ensuring strength or mitigating Black Swan consequences are proposed. The recommendations for implementing “Big Safety” concept are formulated.