Probabilistic safety goals for nuclear power plants - status in Sweden and Finland

The paper describes the results from the first phase of an ongoing Nordic research project titled "The Validity of Safety Goals". The focus in this phase is on describing the status and experiences of safety goals in Sweden and Finland. The work has clarified the basis for the evolvement of safety goals for nuclear power plants in Sweden and Finland and of experiences gained, and resulted in a multi-faceted picture of the interpretation of existing safety goals, and of views regarding the usage of the goals and of perceived development needs. To provide further perspective, crucial references related to the formulation and use of safety goals were identified and reviewed. The second phase will be carried out during 2007, and is planned to include a more general international overview, including a comparison with safety goals used in other industries as well as detailed studies of specific issues, e.g., the relationship between probabilistic and deterministic acceptance criteria.