Making It Work: The Vital Role of Commissioning in Nuclear Power Programs

This paper presents an overview of the duties of a nuclear power plant (NPP) commissioning organization and its special relationship with both the early stages of an NPP project and the long-term operation of such power plants. Decisions made early in the design and procurement process need to be understood by commissioning staff, and their implications need to be incorporated into commissioning programs. Commissioning programs also need to take the steps needed to baseline plant-component ageing programs to facilitate the long-term NPP operation.