Extended physical intrusion protection for nuclear plants

Purpose and goal

By accidental reasons, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority considers extensions to the regulatory requirements governing the physical protection of Swedish nuclear plants. The area surveyed for security threats should be vastly extended to also include the terrain outside the well protected double fence surrounding the plant. To meet up with this duty, OKG has urgent needs for new sensor technologies that efficiently support early detection of approaching threats. The hilly and partly foliaged terrain with few free sight lines that surrounds the OKG plant makes the surveillance task particularly challenging. In the project described here, The Swedish Defence Research Agency, FOI, will support OKG in the process of describing, evaluating, and to some extent demonstrating new technologies that may be used to address new security requirements. FOI will transfer knowledge and experience from earlier work on military camp protection, which has many similarities to plants. Particularly for challenging terrain, Exensor Technology AB and Termisk Systemteknik AB will demonstrate state-of-the-art ground sensors and intelligent infrared surveillance cameras. FOI and OKG will develop relevant demonstration scenarios founded on the regulated threat assessment that governs the security implementations at Swedish nuclear plants. FOI will support the development of new detection algorithms.

Results and expected effects

From OKG point of view The report on description and identification of general capabilities and system design, and sensors for protection of critical infrastructures will be the base for setting up demands and functionality on new surveillance systems. This will help us to: -Evaluate the implementation of thermal cameras/detectors at OKG AB, -Evaluate the implementation of ground radar systems and seismic detectors within the area of interest, -Evaluate the needs for aerial radar systems for air and sea surveillance combined with system for optimizing sensor coverage layout, and, -To sort out the capabilities OKG needs from a new system together with the system design. The report on stakeholder needs and system design will make it easier to set up the demands on new systems in a procurement situation. The regulatory complience concerning physical protection is now under uptating and new demands will increase in 2016. From external point of view - An enhanced and more accurate algorithm for target tracking are developed by FOI and Termisk Systemteknik. A system with this algorithm are delivered to customer i may 2015. -For Excensor the project develpoment has been challenging. The challenges concerned implementation of picture analyzis logic, scaled down to a level suitable for the sensors processing unit, and energy consumption adapted to battery capacity.

Approach and implementation

The ALERT project has been coordinated with a similar EU-financed project, P5. P5 is like ALERT focused on protection of critical infrastructure.(FOI is leader of P5) The reason to coordinate were to use positive synergy effects between the two projects. All workpacks in ALERT has been carried ot as planned, except for WP 5, the demonstration on site at OKG AB. OKG AB will finish WP 5 for ALERT i june 2016 even though ALERT is formally ended. Authorities as SSM, Police and Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency MSB will be invited.